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British Poultry Science

ISSN: 0007-1668 (Print) 1466-1799 (Online) Journal homepage: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/cbps20

Effect of feed supplementation with Saturejakhuzistanica essential oil on performance andphysiological parameters of broilers fed on wheat-or maize-based diets

L. Masouri, S. Salari, M. Sari, S. Tabatabaei & B. Masouri

To cite this article: L. Masouri, S. Salari, M. Sari, S. Tabatabaei & B. Masouri (2017) Effect offeed supplementation with Satureja khuzistanica essential oil on performance and physiologicalparameters of broilers fed on wheat- or maize-based diets, British Poultry Science, 58:4, 425-434,DOI: 10.1080/00071668.2017.1327701

To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00071668.2017.1327701

Accepted author version posted online: 11May 2017.Published online: 06 Jun 2017.

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Effect of feed supplementation with Satureja khuzistanica essential oil onperformance and physiological parameters of broilers fed on wheat- ormaize-based dietsL. Masouria, S. Salaria, M. Saria, S. Tabatabaeia and B. Masourib

aDepartment of Animal Science, Animal Science and Food Technology Faculty, Ramin Agriculture and Natural Resources University ofKhouzestan, Ahwaz, Iran; bDepartment of Animal Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Lorestan University, Khorramabad, Lorestan, Iran

ABSTRACT1. The aim of this study was to evaluate various levels of Satureja khuzistanica essential oil (SKEO) onperformance and physiological parameters of broilers fed on wheat- or maize-based diets.2. Treatments consisted of two cereals (maize- or wheat-based diets) and three levels of SKEO)0, 250and 500 mg/kg).3. Feed intake (FI) and body weight gain (BWG) decreased in broilers fed on the wheat-based dietscompared to the control diet. Dietary supplementation of 500 mg/kg SKEO increased FI and BWG.Dietary SKEO supplementation was effective in improving FI and BWG only in wheat-based dietsand was effective in improving feed conversion ratio (FCR) in both diets.4. Dietary supplementation of 500 mg/kg SKEO caused a significant decrease in plasma cholesteroland triglycerides. Also, plasma low-density lipoprotein concentration was decreased in broilers fedon 250 and 500 mg/kg of SKEO. Plasma cholesterol levels in birds fed on the wheat-based dietswere lower than in those fed on maize-based diets.5. Dietary supplementation of 500 mg/kg SKEO increased caecal population of Lactobacillus andreduced total bacterial and Escherichia coli count. Caecal population of Lactobacillus decreased inbroilers fed on the wheat-based diets.6. Digesta viscosity was increased in broilers fed on the wheat-based diets and decreased in broilersfed on 500 mg/kg SKEO compared to the control diet. Dietary SKEO supplementation was effectivein reducing digesta viscosity values only in wheat-based diets.7. Villus height of the duodenum and jejunum decreased in broilers fed on the wheat-based diets.Dietary supplementation of 500 mg/kg SKEO increased villus height and villus height-to-crypt depthratios and decreased crypt depth of the duodenum compared to the control diet.8. It can be concluded that dietary SKEO supplementation was effective in improving FI, BWG andFCR values in wheat-based diets.

ARTICLE HISTORYReceived 3 November 2016Accepted 13 March 2017

KEYWORDSBroiler chickens; essentialoil; histology; microbiology;performance

Introduction

Broiler diets are based primarily on maize and soya beanmeal, which supply the majority of energy and protein inthe diet. With this diet regimen, nutrient utilisation inmaize and soya bean meal is usually considered to behigh. Worldwide, however, other cereals such as wheathave been used as energy contributors (Steenfeldt 1995).But the problems of cereal grain are their higher non-starchpolysaccharides (NSP) content and fibre (NSP plus lignin)composition, particularly in soluble form (Bach Knudsen1997). For instance, fibre, soluble fibre in particular, hasbeen found to have a detrimental influence on the utilisa-tion of nutrients in broilers (Choct and Annison 1990).Arabinoxylans in the NSP fraction of wheat are the mainanti-nutritional constituents (Choct and Annison 1990;Schutte et al. 1993). This fraction in wheat causes anincrease in digesta viscosity in the small intestine that sti-mulates the growth of pathogenic bacteria species, includingEscherichia coli (Collier et al. 2003). It also adversely affectsvillus height, width, surface area and shape (Mathlouthiet al. 2002) and reduces the growth performance of broilerchickens (Steenfeldt 1995; Santos et al. 2004). Beneficialactivities of the gastrointestinal microbiota and the concern

of residues of antibiotic in animal products have resulted ina new line of research for finding alternatives to antibioticgrowth promoters such as prebiotics, probiotics, phyto-genics and other feed additives. Phytogenic feed additivesare used as natural replacements for antibiotics in animalfeeds because of their antimicrobial properties. Positiveeffects of phytogenic feed additives were observed on theperformance of chickens when fed on a diet supplementedwith a mixture containing capsaicin, cinnamaldehyde andcarvacrol (Jamroz and Kamel 2002). The genus Satureja ismainly found in the Mediterranean region and belongs tothe Lamiaceae family and the Nepetoidae subfamily, hold-ing 14 species which grow in Iran (Hadian et al. 2011).Satureja khuzistanica (also called Marzeh khuzestani inPersian) is one of the species that grows in the southernand south-western parts of Iran. This plant has been used intraditional Iranian medicine for its analgesic and antisepticeffects (Malmir et al. 2014). Antioxidant and anti-inflam-matory effects of S. khuzistanica essential oil (SKEO) havealso been studied (Ghazanfari et al. 2006). The plant con-tains more than 4.5% essential oil (Hadian et al. 2011).Active plant compounds can be considered as alternativesfor controlling the intestinal microbial population

CONTACT S. Salari s.salari@ramin.ac.ir Department of Animal Science, Food Science and Animal Science Faculty, Ramin Agriculture and NaturalResources University of Khouzestan, P. O. Box 6341773637, Ahwaz, Iran

BRITISH POULTRY SCIENCE, 2017VOL. 58, NO. 4, 425–434https://doi.org/10.1080/00071668.2017.1327701

© 2017 British Poultry Science Ltd

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(Hashemipour et al. 2013). The essential oils of S. khuzista-nica consist of carvacrol (80.6%), p-cymene (4.8%), myrcene(1.5%), γ-terpinene (2.1%) and terpinene-4-ol (2.1%)(Farsam et al. 2004). Carvacrol is the main bioactive com-ponent in SKEO. It has antimicrobial and antifungal activ-ity, which has been reported to promote the growth ofbeneficial bacteria and can inhibit the growth of potentiallydeleterious intestinal bacteria (Akyurek and Yel, 2011).Also, carvacrol has positive effects on growth and perfor-mance of broilers (Wenk 2000). Thymol and its isomercarvacrol components derived from thyme and oreganoplants are classified as monoterpene phenols, and theirantimicrobial effects have been proven in vitro (Ouwehandet al. 2010). Also, the intestinal epithelial layer acts as abarrier that protects the host against luminal pathogens(Gunal et al. 2006). A reduction of epithelial cell prolifera-tion and mucosal atrophy of the intestine allow variouspathogens to inhabit the intestinal lumen. Carvacrol canaffect the production and secretion of mucin in the intes-tine, thereby possibly impairing the adhesion of pathogensand having a positive effect on the intestinal morphology ofthe chicken (Jamroz et al. 2006). Presumably, changes inintestinal morphology can be used as an index of intestinalfunction and for determining the nutritional value of poul-try diets (Garcia et al. 2007).

It is reported that the phytogenic feed additives do notaffect the growth when given in a highly digestible diet tofemale broiler chickens kept in a clean environment (Leeet al. 2004). It is well studied that NSP present in cereals canincrease gut digesta viscosity and can impair the perfor-mance and digestibility of nutrients. It also can lead toproblems such as wet litter and higher ammonia release inbroiler houses (Basmacioglu et al. 2010).

The NSP of cereals stimulates the growth of some patho-genic bacteria species, such as E. coli, whereas carvacrol is apotent bactericidal. The present study is conducted to deter-mine the effect of feed supplementation with SKEO on theperformance and physiological parameters of broilers fed onmaize- and wheat-based diets.

Materials and methods

All the procedures used in this study were approved by theAnimal Ethical Committee at Ramin Agriculture andNatural Resources University of Khouzestan, Ahwaz, Iran.

Birds, diets and general procedures

A total of 288 one-d-old male broiler chicks (Ross-308)were obtained from a local hatchery and were individuallyweighed. Chicks were weight sorted and randomly distrib-uted into 6 treatments, with 4 replicates (12 chicks) for eachtreatment. Treatments were arranged according to a factor-ial design with three levels of SKEO (0, 250 and 500 mg/kg)and two diets (maize- and wheat-based diets). The feedingregimen consisted of a starter (1–21 d) and grower (22–42d) diet. The basal diet was formulated to meet the nutrientrequirements of broilers according to NRC (1994). Mashfeed and water were provided ad libitum throughout theexperiment. The ingredients and chemical composition ofthe basal diets are shown in Table 1. Feed was preparedweekly and stored in airtight containers. Lights were oncontinuously for the first 3 d after hatching, after which a

23L:1D lighting schedule was maintained for the duration ofthe experiment. At 1 d of age, the temperature was set at 33°C and subsequently reduced by 2°C per week.

SKEO preparation

Satureja extract was prepared from the S. khozestanica cul-tivated in Khoram Abad (Lorestan Province, western Iran).Aerial parts of the plants were collected during floweringstage and were air-dried at ambient temperature in theshade. Aerial parts were hydro-distilled for 4 h using aClevenger apparatus, giving yellow essential oil in 0.8%yield. The essential oil was dried over anhydrous sodiumsulphate and then stored at 4°C (Hadian et al. 2011). Theplant has been previously identified by the Department ofBotany of the Research Institute of Forests and Rangelands(TARI) in Tehran. A voucher specimen (no. 58416) hasbeen deposited at the TARI Herbarium. The componentsof this extract were analysed with gas chromatography/massspectrometry using the methods described by Hadian et al.(2011) at the Research Center of Lorestan University.

Performance

Weekly body weight gain (BWG) and feed intake (FI) ofeach pen were recorded. Feed conversion ratio (FCR) wascalculated by dividing FI with BWG.

Blood lipid metabolites

At the end of the study (42 d), blood samples were collectedvia the brachial vein of two birds per replicate. Serum wasseparated after centrifugation at 4500 g and 4°C for 10 min,

Table 1. Ingredient composition and chemical analysis of basal diets used inthe experiment (as fed on basis).

Items (g/kg) Starter (1–21 d) Grower (22–42 d)

Maizea 543.0 48.5 615.0 105.3Soya bean meal 390.0 370.0 324.9 310.0Wheatb 0.0 500.0 0.0 500.0Soya bean oil 24.5 40.0 24.5 50.0Dicalcium phosphate 18.4 16.5 13.9 13.9Limestone 12.8 13.8 12.5 12.0Sodium chloride 4.7 4.3 3.5 3.0Vitamin premixc 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5Mineral premixd 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5DL-Methionine 1.6 1.9 0.7 0.8Calculated analysisME (MJ/kg) 12.63 12.63 12.63 12.63Crude protein (g/kg) 215.4 215.4 194.0 194.0Methionine (g/kg) 5.0 5.0 3.8 3.8Lysine (g/kg) 13.7 13.4 11.8 12.1Calcium (g/kg) 10.0 10.0 9.0 9.0Non-phytate P (g/kg) 4.8 4.5 3.6 3.6Sodium (g/kg) 2.0 2.0 1.5 1.5Determined analysis (g/kg)CF 27.2 29.0 26.2 27.9NDF 102.1 125.9 101.2 124.1ADF 40.3 48.4 37.0 45.2

aCF, NDF and ADF of maize were 2.01, 9.90 and 2.10%, respectively.bCF, NDF and ADF of wheat were 2.7, 15.04 and 4%, respectively.cVitamin premix provided the following per kilogram of diet: retinyl acetate,1.55 mg; cholecalciferol, 0.025 mg; α-tocopherol acetate, 20 mg; mena-dione, 1.3 mg; thiamine, 2.2 mg; riboflavin, 10 mg; calcium pantothenate,10 mg; choline chloride, 400 mg; nicotinamide, 50 mg; pyridoxine HCl,4 mg; biotin, 0.04 mg; folic acid, 1 mg; vitamin B12 (cobalamin), 1.013 mg.

dMineral premix provided the following per kilogram of diet: Fe, 60 mg; Mn,100 mg; Zn, 60 mg; Cu, 10 mg; I, 1 mg; Co, 0.2 mg; Se, 0.15 mg.

CF: crude fibre; NDF: neutral detergent fibre; ADF: acid detergent fibre.

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