A. M. C. Racanicci

Plant extracts used as growth promoters in broilers

Two experiments were carried out to assess the efficacy of plant extracts as alternatives for antimicrobial growth promoters in broiler diets. The performance experiment included 1,200 male broilers raised from 1 to 42 days of age. The metabolism experiment used 96 male broilers in the grower phase housed in metabolic cages for total excreta collection. At the end of the metabolism experiment, 24 birds were sacrificed to assess organ morphometrics. In both experiments, the following treatments were applied: control diet (CD); CD + 10 ppm avilamycin; CD + 1000 ppm oregano extract; CD + 1000 ppm clove extract; CD + 1000 ppm cinnamon extract; and CD + 1000 ppm red pepper extract. The microencapsulated extracts contained 20% of essential oil. No significant differences (P>0.05) in the studied performance parameters were observed among treatments. The dietary supplementation of the extracts did not influence (P>0.05) nitrogencorrected apparent metabolizable energy values. In general, organ morphometrics was not affected by the experimental treatments, but birds fed the control diet had higher liver relative weight (P<0.05) as compared to those fed the diet containing red pepper extract, which presented the lowest liver relative weight. These results showed that there was no effect of the tested plant extracts on live performance or in organ morphometrics.

Óleo de Soja, Óleo Ácido de Soja e Sebo Bovino Como Fontes de Gordura em Rações de Frangos de Corte

The objective of this research was to evaluate less expensive fat sources as alternatives to soybean oil in broiler diets. A total of 1,440 day-old male Ross chicks were raised to 42 days of age in a randomized block design of six treatments and six replicates, fed diets containing 4% supplemental fat from the sources: soybean oil (SOY4), beef tallow (TAL4), acidulated soapstock (SOAP4), mixtures 2%:2% (SOAP2/TAL2), (SOAP2/SOY2) and (SOY2/TAL2). Liveweight, weight gain, feed intake, feed:gain ratio and viability were analyzed using non-orthogonal contrasts: 1- SOY4 X (SOAP4 + TAL4 + SOAP2/TAL2); 2- SOY4 X (SOAP2/SOY2 + SOY2/TAL2); 3- SOAP2/SOY2 X SOY2/TAL2; 4- SOAP4 X SOAP2/SOY2; 5- SOAP4 X SOAP2/TAL2. Liveweight, weight gain and feed:gain of SOY4 were better (p .05) and soybean oil in the mixture equally improved the results of the alternative sources (contrast 3). The performance of birds fed SOAP4 was inferior to those fed SOAP2/SOY2 (p<.06) but was similar to those fed SOAP2/TAL2 . The abdominal fat did not differ among the treatments, but abdominal fats reflected the composition of the different fats. These results confirmed the superiority of soybean oil relative to the other fat sources fed to broiler and demonstrated that the quality of acidulated soapstock and beef tallow may be improved when used in 1:1 mixtures with soybean oil.

Dietary oxidized poultry offal fat: broiler performance and oxidative stability of thigh meat during chilled storage

Two experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects of dietary oxidized poultry offal fat on the performance of broilers and on the oxidative stability of dark chicken meat. One hundred and sixty male chicks were fed a corn-soybean meal diet containing 4% fresh or oxidized poultry fat from 10 to 47 days of age. Fresh fat was stored frozen until diets were produced, and oxidized fat was obtained by electrical heating (110 to 120 o C). Birds were slaughtered at 47 days of age, and carcass characteristics were measured. Skinless and deboned thigh meat was stored chilled during 12 days, and samples were periodically collected to assess their quality and oxidative stability. Dietary oxidized fat did not affect bird performance or carcass characteristics. During chilled storage, meat color (L*, a* and b*) was not affected by dietary treatments; however, TBARS (Thiobarbituric Acid Reactive Substances) values were higher (P<0.05) in thigh meat from chickens fed the oxidized fat, indicating that oxidative stability was adversely affected.

Foundation and perspectives of the use of plant extracts as performance enhancers in broilers

Feed is responsible for about 70% of broilers production costs, leading to an increasing number of studies on alternative dietary products that benefit bird performance and lower production costs. Since the 1950s, antimicrobial additives are the most frequently used performance enhancers in animal production and their positive results are observed even in high-challenge conditions. Since the 1990s, due to the ban of the use of some antibiotics as growth promoters and the growing trend of the public to consume natural products, plant extracts have been researched as alternatives to antibiotic growth promoters. The first study that evaluated the antibacterial activities of plant extracts was carried out in 1881; however, they started to be used as flavor enhancers only during the next decades. With the emergence of antibiotics in the 1950s, the use of plant extracts as antimicrobial agents almost disappeared. There are several studies in literature assessing the use of plant extracts, individually or in combination, as antimicrobials, antioxidants, or digestibility enhancers in animal feeds. Research results on the factors affecting their action, such as plant variety, harvest time, processing, extraction, as well as the technology employed to manufacture the commercial product and dietary inclusion levels show controversial results, warranting the need of further research and standardization for the effective use of plant extracts as performance enhancers, when added to animal feeds. This article aims at presenting plant extracts as alternatives to antibiotics, explaining their main modes of action as performance enhancers in broiler production.

Performance and organ morphology of broilers fed microbial or antimicrobial additives and raised in batteries or floor pens

This study was conducted to determine the effect of microbial or antimicrobial additives on the performance and organ morphology of broilers raised in batteries or in floor pens. The effect of microbial additives on the presence of oocysts in the litter was also studied. Experiments 1 and 2 consisted of four treatments (non-supplemented control diet or diet supplemented with avilamycin, bacitracin methylene disalicylate or enramycin) and six repetitions in a randomized block design. In Experiment 1, 288 day-old chicks were housed in heated batteries in a environmentally controlled room, 12 chicks per cage; in Experiment 2, 1,200 day-old chicks were housed in a curtain-sided experimental house, with concrete floor and rice hulls as litter material, 50 chicks per pen. Experiments 3 and 4 were carried out similarly to Experiments 1 and 2, respectively, but the treatments consisted of microbial additives (non-supplemented control diet or Bacillus subtilis added to the feed plus Lactobacillus reuteri and Lactobacillus johnsonii added to the water, undefined microflora added to the water or live yeast added to the feed). The antibiotics did not affect the performance of birds raised in batteries, but improved feed conversion, weight gain and live weight when chickens were kept on the floor pens. Microbial additives did not affect bird performance in any environment; however, treatments affected liver weight. Microbial agents increased intestinal weight in floor-raised broilers. No relationship was seen between the use of microbial additives and the presence of oocysts in the litter.

Cobre e Antibiótico como Promotores de Crescimento em Rações para Frangos de Corte

Foi realizado um experimento objetivando avaliar os efeitos de promotores de crescimento sobre o desempenho e a temperatura corporal de frangos de corte, no periodo de 1 a 42 dias de idade. Os tratamentos consistiram de uma racao basal nao suplementada (Controle), ou suplementada com 200 mg de Cu/kg de sulfato cuprico pentahidratado (Sulfato), 75 mg de Cu/kg de citrato cuprico anidro (Citrato), 20 mg/kg de virginiamicina (VM), ou a associacao Citrato + VM, em um experimento em blocos casualizados com seis repeticoes de 40 aves, criadas sobre cama reutilizada. Nao se observou efeito de tratamentos na fase inicial. Na fase final os tratamentos nao afetaram o consumo de racao e o ganho de peso, enquanto a conversao alimentar foi melhor para o VM comparado ao Controle. No periodo total nao houve efeito de tratamentos sobre peso vivo, consumo, ganho de peso e conversao alimentar. No periodo final e total o Sulfato resultou em menor viabilidade das aves comparado ao Citrato, VM e Citrato + VM. Nao foi verificado efeito sinergico quando se usou VM + Citrato. Os tratamentos nao influenciaram a temperatura retal das aves consistentemente. O citrato cuprico nao revelou ser mais eficiente que o sulfato cuprico.

Determination of the energetic value of corn, soybean meal and micronized full fat soybean for newly hatched chicks

There are some evidences described in the literature showing reduced energy metabolizability of ingredients for newly hatched chicks. Hence, a metabolism trial was carried out with the objective of determining the metabolizable energy of corn grain, soybean meal and micronized full fat soybean for newly hatched chicks. The method of total excreta collection was used in an experiment with 192 male chicks from one to seven days, distributed in a completely randomized design with four treatments and four replicates of twelve birds. Excreta were collected from four to seven days of age. The treatments included a reference diet, two test-diets consisting of 60% of the reference diet and 40% of the test ingredients: corn grain (CG) and soybean meal (SM), and one test-diet consisting of 80% of the reference diet and 20% of micronized full fat soybean (MFFS). The N-corrected apparent metabolizable energy (AMEn) and the metabolizability coefficient of gross energy (MCGE) of the ingredients determined for the chicks were respectively 3,213 kcal/kg and 81.6% for CG; 2,085 kcal/kg and 49.7% for SM and 4,068 kcal/kg and 74.8% for MFFS.