Journal of Fisheries & Livestock Production
Open Access

Abstract

In view of the increasing consumer demand for safe and quality poultry products has fuelled the development of natural, plant-based alternatives for antibiotic growth promoters in poultry farming. The current study was conducted to evaluate the effects of dietary supplementation with vitamin E (as α-tocopherol acetate) and ground Moringa oleifera leaves (MOLM) on growth performance, gut health and meat quality in broiler chickens. A total of 600, day-old broiler chicks were randomly allocated to four dietary treatments formulated as follows: T1 with a coccidiostat and antibiotic growth promoter+200 mg/kg vitamin E; T2 with 50 kg MOLM/ton feed; T3 with 25 kg MOLM/ton feed+100 mg/kg vitamin E and T4 with 12.5 kg MOLM/ton feed with 200 mg/kg vitamin E. Although there were no significant difference in feed intake, bodyweight gain, feed conversion efficiency and carcass yield were highest in birds fed T2 and T3 diets respectively. Supplementation with MOLM improved the digestive physiology and gut health of broilers as with birds that were offered birds with coccidiostats and antibiotic growth promoter. Antibiotic and plant extract supplementation. The addition of α-tocopheryl acetate significantly prolonged the shelf life (pH value, color and drip loss) of meat during refrigerated storage (4οC) particularly in meats from birds that were supplemented with MOLM. Meat from birds Microbiological analyses showed that E. coli counts were significantly lowest in meat samples from birds that were fed T2 and T3 diets. The results of this study indicate that dietary supplementation with vitamin E and ground Moringa oleifera leaves significantly improved the broiler performance, gut health and meat quality.

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