Publikationsdatenbank

Effect of essential oils or saponins alone or in combination on productive performance, instestinal morphology and digestive enzymes activity of broiler chickens (2021)

Art

Zeitschriftenartikel / wissenschaftlicher Beitrag

Autoren

Youssef, Ibrahim M.I. (WE 4)

Männer, Klaus (WE 4)

Zentek, Jürgen (WE 4)

Quelle

Journal of animal physiology and animal nutrition : official journal of the European Society of Veterinary and Comparative Nutrition and the American Academy of Veterinary Nutrition

Bandzählung: 105

Heftzählung: 1

Seiten: 99 – 107

ISSN: 0931-2439

Sprache

Englisch

Verweise

URL (Volltext): https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jpn.13431

DOI: 10.1111/jpn.13431

Pubmed: 32755039

Kontakt

Institut für Tierernährung

Königin-Luise-Str. 49
14195 Berlin
+49 30 838 52256
tierernaehrung@vetmed.fu-berlin.de

Abstract / Zusammenfassung

This study was carried out to evaluate the effect of essential oils or saponins alone or in combination on productive performance, intestinal morphology, and digestive enzymes' activity in broilers. Four hundred one‐day‐old male broiler chickens were randomly assigned to four treatments, each with 5 replicates. The birds were fed experimental diets contained either no phytogenic feed additives (control) or were supplemented with 25.0 mg/kg of an essential oil blend from star anise, rosemary, thyme and oregano (essential oils); 46.0 mg/kg of a Quillaja saponin blend (saponins); or a combination of both phytogenic preparations (essential oils plus saponins). The experiment lasted for 42 days. Body weight, feed intake and weight gain were recorded weekly, and the feed conversion ratio was calculated, throughout the experiment. Intestinal morphology and digestive enzymes' activity were determined at the end of the experiment. It was found that the body weight was increased by all dietary supplements at the end of the experiment. There was no change in performance parameters among the treatments during the starter period. At the grower period and the overall experiment, the weight gain of birds was higher in all supplemented groups compared to the control, but the feed conversion was better in the essential oils with saponins treatment. Supplementation of essential oils or saponins alone or in combination increased the villus height and the villus/crypt ratio of the intestine. There was an increase in trypsin, chymotrypsin and elastase activities in the essential oils plus saponins group only. The obtained results indicate that the phytogenic feed additives, especially essential oils with saponins, can be considered as new promising agents in promoting the growth performance of broilers. The effect could be related to its improving impact in intestinal development and increasing the protease enzymes' activity, resulting in increased protein digestibility and absorption of dietary nutrients.