Silymarin seed extract supplementation enhances the growth performance, meat quality, and nutrients digestibility, and reduces gas emission in broilers

Abstract

Objective: A thirty-five-dayfeeding trial was carried out to determine the effect of dietary inclusion of silymarin seed extract on growth performance, nutrient digestibility, excreta microbiota, excreta gas emission, blood profiles, and meat quality in broiler. Methods:A total of 1088 one-day-old Ross 308 broiler chicks (mixed-sex) with an initial body weight of 42.34 ± 0.82g, were randomly allocated into 1 of 4 dietary treatments with 17 replicates of 16 chicks per cage and fed a basal diet supplemented with 0, 0.02, 0.04, and 0.06% of silymarin. Results:The inclusion of silymarin supplementation linearly increased the body weight of broilers during days 7 to 21 and 1 to 35 days. On day 35, broilers fed a diet containing graded levels of silymarin supplementation linearly increased the nutrient digestibility of dry matter, gross energy, and nitrogen and cecal Lactobacillus counts (P = 0.038). While, silymarin supplement linearly reduced the methyl mercaptans (P=0.039) and acetic acid (P=0.007) emission in broilers. No significant effects were observed on the blood profile. Relative weights of organs such as breast muscle, bursa of fabricius were increased (linear effect, P< 0.05), water holding capacity was enhanced by increasing the silymarin level from 0 to 0.06%. A linear reduction(P>0.05) in drip loss from meat samples during days 1, 3, 5, and 7 by the addition of graded level of silymarin to the diet. Conclusion:An increasing level of silymarin supplementation to the diet of broiler would be beneficial to enhance growth performance, nutrient digestibility, excreta microflora, blood profile, and meat quality traits.

Assessing the potential of phytogenic feed additives: A comprehensive review on their effectiveness as a potent dietary enhancement for nonruminant in swine and poultry

“…As mentioned by Yan, Meng, et al (2012), the incorporation of herbs into a piglet diet enhanced the energy digestibility of nutrients. As mentioned by Shanmugam et al (2022), the incorporation of Silymarin (0%, 0.02%, 0.04% and 0.06%) increased nutrient digestibility of dry matter, nitrogen and energy (Figure 3). PFAs boosted the body's natural and pancreatic relative secretions of proteolytic enzymes, primarily trypsin, protease and bile, and thus contributed to increasing feed conversion efficiency and feed utilization (Gopi et al, 2014).…”

“…PFA, phytogenic feed additives. F I G U R E 3 Effect of PFA (silymarin) on nutrient digestibility (Shanmugam et al, 2022). PFA, phytogenic feed additives.…”

“…To maintain proper fluidity, silymarin inhibits unusual changes in the components of lipids by acting directly on biological membranes (Muriel & Mourelle, 1990). Similarly, silymarin showed increased growth performance in broilers (Shanmugam et al, 2022) and fattening pigs (Zhang & Kim, 2022). Different experiments showed that silymarin administration through diet increased productive and reproductive outcomes and improved the health status of animals (Bendowski et al, 2022;Tedesco et al, 2004).…”

Supplemental impact of silymarin in growing pig diet on the growth performance, total tract digestibility, faecal microflora, faecal noxious gas emission and absorption rate in blood

“…Saeed et al (2019) noted that silymarin might protect liver cells through membrane stability, free radical elimination, production of hepatocyte protein and controlling the immunological response. The improved blood profile was confirmed by Shanmugam et al (2022), however, comparison between the absorption rate in blood of different type of silymarin was not done yet. In the livestock industry mostly, powdered form is used.…”

“…Silymarin has recently been identified as a strong hepatoprotective additive in poultry feed (Saeed et al, 2019). Improved feed utilisation, feed intake, nutrient digestibility, excreta microbial count was found in broiler supplemented with silymarin (Shanmugam et al, 2022; Tedesco et al, 2004). Previous research has shown that feeding S. marianum herb to rabbits at 5% and 10% increased aroma as well as flavour of meat (Cullere et al, 2016).…”