ArticlePDF Available

Abstract and Figures

The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of dietary supplementation with an essential oil mixture, a commercially available organic acid and a probiotic on growth performance and carcass yield of broilers. One thousand two hundred and fifty sexed one day-old broiler chicks were randomly divided into five treatment groups of 250 birds each (negative control, organic acid, probiotic and essential oil mixture (EOM) at two levels). Each treatment group was further sub-divided into five replicates of 50 birds (25 male and 25 female) per replicate. The oil in the EOM was extracted from different herbs growing in Turkey. An organic acid at 2.5 g/kg diet, a probiotic at 1 g/kg diet and the EOM at 36 mg and 48 mg/kg diet were added to the basal diet of the birds. There were significant effects of dietary treatments on body weight gain, feed intake, carcass yield and intestinal weight of the broiler at 42 days of age. At day 42, birds fed the diet containing 36 mg EOM/kg showed the highest body weight gain. This was followed by chicks on the diet containing 48 mg EOM/kg, the probiotic, the organic acid and the negative control, in descending order. The addition of the essential oil mixture to the diet improved the feed conversion ratio significantly as compared to the negative control and the organic acid treatment. The feed intakes at days 21 and 42 were significantly different between the treatments. The addition of 48 mg EOM/kg increased carcass yield significantly above the other treatments, while the addition of EOM and the organic acid reduced the intestinal weight significantly. It was concluded that the supplementation of the herbal essential oil mixture to broiler diet had beneficial effects on body weight gain, feed conversion ratio and carcass yield.
Content may be subject to copyright.
South African Journal of Animal Science 2004, 34 (4)
© South African Society for Animal Science
217
The effect of a mixture of herbal essential oils, an organic acid or a probiotic on
broiler performance
A. Alçiçek1#, M. Bozkurt2 and M. Çabuk3
1Department of Animal Science, Agricultural Faculty of Ege University, Bornova 35100, Izmir-Turkey
2Poultry Research Institute, Erbeyli 09600, Aydın-Turkey
3Department of Poultry Science, Akhisar Vocational School of Celal Bayar University, 45210, Manisa-Turkey
Abstract
The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of dietary supplementation with an essential
oil mixture, a commercially available organic acid and a probiotic on growth performance and carcass yield
of broilers. One thousand two hundred and fifty sexed one day-old broiler chicks were randomly divided into
five treatment groups of 250 birds each (negative control, organic acid, probiotic and essential oil mixture
(EOM) at two levels). Each treatment group was further sub-divided into five replicates of 50 birds (25 male
and 25 female) per replicate. The oil in the EOM was extracted from different herbs growing in Turkey. An
organic acid at 2.5 g/kg diet, a probiotic at 1 g/kg diet and the EOM at 36 mg and 48 mg/kg diet were added
to the basal diet of the birds. There were significant effects of dietary treatments on body weight gain, feed
intake, carcass yield and intestinal weight of the broiler at 42 days of age. At day 42, birds fed the diet
containing 36 mg EOM/kg showed the highest body weight gain. This was followed by chicks on the diet
containing 48 mg EOM/kg, the probiotic, the organic acid and the negative control, in descending order. The
addition of the essential oil mixture to the diet improved the feed conversion ratio significantly as compared
to the negative control and the organic acid treatment. The feed intakes at days 21 and 42 were significantly
different between the treatments. The addition of 48 mg EOM/kg increased carcass yield significantly above
the other treatments, while the addition of EOM and the organic acid reduced the intestinal weight
significantly. It was concluded that the supplementation of the herbal essential oil mixture to broiler diet had
beneficial effects on body weight gain, feed conversion ratio and carcass yield.
Keywords: Essential oil mixture, herbs, organic acid, probiotic, performance, broilers
#Corresponding author. E-mail: alcicek@ziraat.ege.edu.tr
Introduction
Recently the use of antibiotic growth promoters (AGP) in the poultry industry has been seriously
criticised by governmental policy makers and consumers because of the development of microbial resistance
to these products and the potential harmful effects on human health. In the European Union (EU) this led to a
ban on the use of antibiotics as antimicrobial growth promoters in animal nutrition. At present and up till
2006 only four antibiotic growth promoters are permitted for use in poultry nutrition. On the other hand,
there is increasing public and government pressure in several countries of the EU and some non-EU to search
for natural alternatives to antibiotics (Williams & Losa, 2001; McCartney, 2002). Since the prohibition on
AGPs in the EU, aromatic plant extracts and essential oils as well as their purified constituents have gained
interest in alternative feed strategies for the future. It is currently well known that enzymes, probiotics and
organic acids are “generally regarded as safe” (GRAS) feed additives. The chemical constituents of most
plant essential oils are also recognized as safe in general and commonly used in the food industry (Varel,
2002). The main functions of the essential oils cover pathogen control including antimicrobial activity
(Cowan, 1999; Dorman & Deans, 2000; Azaz et al., 2002), antioxidant activity (Botsoglou et al., 2002;
Botsoglou et al., 2004), digestion aid including stimulation of endogenous enzyme activity and nitrogen
absorption (Gill, 2001) and inhibition of odour and ammonia control (Varel, 2002). Their antimicrobial mode
of action consists of interactions with cell membranes that change the permeability for cations such as H+
and K+ (Ultee et al., 1999). Moreover, Bassett (2000) and Alçiçek et al. (2003) reported that the
supplementation of the essential oil to the broiler diet or drinking water increased body weight and feed
conversion ratio. Furthermore, it has been found that probiotics and organic acids have growth promoting
properties and can be used as alternatives to antibiotics (Vanbelle et al., 1990; Patten & Waldroup, 1988).
The South African Journal of Animal Science is available online at http://www.sasas.co.za/Sajas.html
South African Journal of Animal Science 2004, 34 (4)
© South African Society for Animal Science
218
Yeo & Kim (1997) and Zilkifli et al. (2000) reported that dietary supplementation of probiotics improved
body weight gain and feed intake significantly. The addition of organic acids to the broiler diet reduced the
production of toxic components by bacteria and the colonization of pathogens in the gastro intestinal tract
(Langhout, 2000; Denli et al., 2003). Although there is sufficient literature on the growth promoting effects
of probiotics and organic acids, the number of published studies on the effects of essential oils on broiler
performance and carcass characteristics is still very limited.
The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of dietary supplementation with essential oil
mixture, commercially available organic acid and probiotic compounds on the growth performance and
carcass yield of broilers.
Materials and Methods
Table 1 Ingredients and chemical composition of the experimental starter and finisher diets (as fed)
Treatment
1 to 21 days 22 to 42 days
Ingredients (kg/1000 kg) Diet 1 Diet 2 Diet 3 Diet 4 Diet 5 Diet 1 Diet 2 Diet 3 Diet 4 Diet 5
Maize 546.5 544.4 543.5 544.6 544.9 621.9 621.3 621.5 621.3 621.3
Soyabean meal (0.48 CP) 284.7 287.2 288.4 287.2 287.2 253.7 250.1 249.2 251.6 250.6
Sunflower meal 56.9 53.7 52.4 55.1 54.7 0 0 0 0 0
Meat and bone meal 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 30.0 30.0 29.1 30.0 30.5
Fish meal 42.7 43.1 44.0 43.1 43.1 37.9 40.0 41.9 40.1 40.6
Vegetable oil 36.8 36.8 38.6 36.8 36.8 40.0 40.1 41.4 40.0 40.0
Salt 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5
Ground limestone 15.7 15.7 15.5 15.6 15.7 5.7 5.6 5.7 5.6 5.6
Dicalcium phosphate 8.7 8.6 8.6 8.6 8.6 2.8 2.4 2.2 2.4 2.4
Vitamin premix* 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5
Mineral premix** 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0
DL-methionine 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0
L-lysine 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0
Organic acid premix - 2.5 - - - - 2.5 - - -
Probiotic premix 1.0 1.0
EOM (36 g/kg) premix - - - 1.0 - - - - 1.0 -
EOM (48 g/kg) premix - - - - 1.0 - - - - 1.0
Total 1000 1000 1000 1000 1000 1000 1000 1000 1000 1000
Composition, g/kg (analysed)
Dry matter 909 915 908 917 916 903 904 904 900 906
Crude protein (CP) 216 215 217 218 215 196 194 193 195 193
Crude fat 47.3 47.5 45.4 45.1 46.8 59.1 64.5 59.6 60.8 61.3
Crude fibre 43.5 40.5 42.3 39.2 40.8 34.5 31.0 33.0 35.5 31.7
Crude ash 70.3 69.5 67.8 65.1 65.4 63.0 65.4 60.9 65.0 61.8
Starch 369 365 364 369 365 409 402 407 410 412
Sugar 53.0 58.1 58.4 57.5 55.3 41.6 44.0 43.2 41.8 42.4
Total calcium 12.2 11.2 10.9 11.6 10.2 11.2 12.0 10.6 10.9 10.3
Total phosphorus 6.3 6.6 6.8 6.7 6.7 6.1 6.5 6.5 6.6 6.6
Lysine (calculated) 12.4 12.4 12.4 12.4 12.4 11.3 11.3 11.3 11.3 11.3
Met. + Cys. (calculated) 8.3 8.3 8.3 8.3 8.3 7.4 7.4 7.4 7.4 7.4
ME (MJ/kg) 12.7 12.7 12.6 12.7 12.6 13.3 13.4 13.3 13.4 13.4
EOM-Essential oil mixture; ME- Metabolisable energy
Diet 1: Negative control: without organic acid, probiotic and EOM
Diet 2: with commercial organic acid including formic, lactic and citric acid, at 2.5 g/kg diet
Diet 3: with commercial probiotic including Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium and Enterococcus at 1.0 g/kg diet
Diets 4 and 5: with 36 and 48 mg of EOM/kg diet, respectively
*Vitamin premix (/kg diet): Vitamin A - 12000 IU; vitamin D3 - 1500 IU; vitamin E - 30 mg; vitamin K3 - 5 mg;
vitamin B1 - 3 mg; vitamin B2 - 6 mg; vitamin B6 - 5 mg; vitamin B12 - 0.03 mg; nicotine amid - 40 mg; calcium-D-
pantothenate - 10 mg; folic acid - 0.75 mg; D-biotin - 0.075 mg; choline chloride - 375 mg; antioxidant - 10 mg
**Mineral combination (mg/kg diet): Mn - 80; Fe - 80; Zn - 60; Cu - 8; I - 0.5; Co - 0.2; Se - 0.15
The South African Journal of Animal Science is available online at http://www.sasas.co.za/Sajas.html
South African Journal of Animal Science 2004, 34 (4)
© South African Society for Animal Science
219
One thousand two hundred and fifty sexed day-old broiler chicks (Cobb 500) were divided into five
treatment groups of 250 birds each and randomly assigned to the five treatment diets, consisting of a
negative control and diets supplemented with an organic acid, a probiotic and an essential oil mixture (EOM)
at two different levels of inclusion. Each treatment group was further sub-divided into five replicates of 50
birds (25 male and 25 female) per replicate. In the negative control treatment the birds were fed a standard
commercial starter diet from days 1 to 21 and a grower diet from days 22 to 42. The organic acid, probiotic
and the EOM were added to the basal diet. In the organic acid treatment a kg of feed contained 2.5 g of the
commercial organic acid, based on mainly formic, lactic and citric acid. In the probiotic treatment a kg of
feed contained 1.0 g of the commercial probiotic, based on Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium and
Enterococcus. For the EOM treatments, 36 and 48 mg of a commercial EOM (Herbromix™) were added per
kg of feed. The EOM contained six different essential oils derived from selected herbs growing in Turkey,
viz. oregano oil (Origanum sp.), laurel leaf oil (Laurus nobilis L.), sage leaf oil (Salvia triloba L.), myrtle
leaf oil (Myrtus communis), fennel seeds oil (Foeniculum vulgare), citrus peel oil (Citrus sp.).
Hydrodistillation was used to extract the herbal essential oils.
The ingredients and chemical composition of the diets are presented in Table 1. The diets were
isoenergetic and isonitrogenous. The experimental diet was in mash form and water was provided ad libitum.
The experiment lasted for 42 days. The birds were kept in 25 pens (3 x 1.7 m) in an open-sided naturally
ventilated broiler house containing wood shavings as litter material. Bird density was 10 chicks per square
meter. A photoperiod of 24 h/d was maintained. The body weights of the birds were measured individually
and feed intakes per pen were recorded. Feed conversion ratio (FCR) was adjusted for weight of chicks at
first day and FCR was calculated at the end of the 21- and the 42-day experimental periods. Mortality was
recorded daily and was used to adjust the total number of birds to determine the total feed intake per bird. At
days 42, 12 male and 12 female birds of similar body weight were selected from each treatment group,
weighed and killed by CO2 asphyxiation to determine the carcass yield, abdominal fat and intestinal weight.
The standard techniques of the proximate analysis were used to determine the nutrient concentrations
in the experimental diets (Naumann & Bassler, 1993). The experimental diets were analysed also for starch,
sugar, total calcium and phosphorus according to the VDLUFA method (Naumann & Bassler, 1993).
Metabolisable energy content of the diets was calculated based on chemical composition (Anonymous,
1991). The data were analyzed using the General Linear Models procedure of SAS (1985). Significant
differences between treatment means were separated using the Duncan’s multiple range test with a 5%
probability.
Results and Discussion
The effects of the supplementation of an essential oil mixture, organic acid and a probiotic on the feed
intake and feed conversion ratio are presented in Table 2.
Table 2 The effect of the inclusion of an essential oil mixture (EOM), an organic acid and a probiotic on
feed intake (g) and the feed conversion ratio (g feed/g gain) of the broilers up to the age of 42 days
Treatments Feed intake
g
Feed conversion ratio
g feed/g gain
21 days* 42 days* 21 days 42 days*
Control 1018.0b3942.6b1.87 2.07a
2.5 g Organic acid/kg 1043.8ab 3993.6ab 1.84 2.06a
1.0 g Probiotic/kg 1064.4ab 4045.8a1.89 2.01ab
36 mg EOM/kg 1087.8a4078.0a1.88 1.97b
48 mg EOM/kg 1089.6a4037.8a1.83 1.96b
s.e.m. pooled 17.78 28.53 0.05 0.02
P
0.0472 0.0285 0.8531 0.0412
*Means within columns with different superscripts differ at P < 0.05
The South African Journal of Animal Science is available online at http://www.sasas.co.za/Sajas.html
South African Journal of Animal Science 2004, 34 (4)
© South African Society for Animal Science
220
At day 21 the feed intake differed significantly between treatments. The feed intake of the birds fed
on the diet containing 48 mg EOM/kg was the highest and those consuming the control diet the lowest. There
were also significantly differences between the treatments in the feed intake at 42 days of age, viz. the feed
intake of the broilers was significantly increased by the supplementation of 36 mg EOM/kg, the probiotic
and 48 mg EOM/kg when compared to the negative control, but there were no significant differences in the
feed intake between the organic acid and probiotic or essential oil mixture treatments. No significant
differences were found for feed conversion ratios between treatments at 21 days of age. On the other hand,
after 42 days, the supplementation of 36 mg or 48 mg EOM/kg improved (P < 0.05) the feed conversion
ratio compared to those of the organic acid and negative control treatments. However, there were no
significant differences between probiotic and both of essential oil mixtures (36 mg and 48 mg EOM/kg). The
effects on the 21st and 42nd days of experiment of the dietary essential oil mixture, organic acid and probiotic
on body weight gain, carcass yield, intestinal weight, abdominal fat and mortality of broilers are given in
Table 3.
Table 3 The effect of the inclusion of an essential oil mixture (EOM), an organic acid and a probiotic on
body weight gain (g), carcass yield (%), intestinal weight (g), abdominal fat (g) and mortality (%) of broilers
Treatments Body weight
g
Body weight gain
g
Carcass
yield, %
Intestinal
weight, %
Abdominal
fat, %
Mortality
%
1 day 21 days* 42 days* 42 days* 42 days* 42 days 42 days
Control 40.9 543.6d1909.0c73.9b3.30a1.78 0.8
2.5 g Organic acid/kg 40.8 566.2bc 1937.5c73.9b3.09b2.05 0.8
1.0 g Probiotic/kg 40.7 562.1c2015.3b74.3b3.14ab 1.97 1.2
36 mg EOM/kg 40.3 578.3b2063.7a74.3b3.01b1.94 1.2
48 mg EOM/kg 40.6 595.2a2060.7a75.2a2.99b1.97 1.2
s.e.m. pooled 0.47 4.91 15.26 0.28 0.07 0.10 1.2
P
0.890 0.0001 0.0001 0.0102 0.0147 0.4506 0.4017
*Means within columns with different superscripts differ at P < 0.05
As shown in Table 3, there were significant effects of dietary treatments on body weight gain of
broilers at 21 and 42 days of age. Birds fed the diet supplemented with 48 mg EOM/kg had a significantly
higher body weight gain at day 21 compared to those birds fed on diets containing 36 mg EOM/kg, organic
acid, probiotic and the negative control. On the other hand, significant differences on the body weight gain
were not found between organic acid and 36 mg EOM/kg treatments, whereas the broilers receiving the
probiotic showed significantly lower body weight gains compared to those on the 36 mg EOM/kg treatment.
Furthermore, organic acid and probiotic treatments had similar body weight gains at 21 days of age. From 1
to 42 days of age, body weight gain was also significantly different between the treatments; birds fed the diet
containing 36 mg EOM/kg being highest. This treatment was followed by chicks fed the diet containing 48
mg EOM/kg, probiotic, organic acid and the negative control. The carcass yield and intestinal weight of
broilers differed (P < 0.05) between treatments at day 42. The birds fed the diet containing 48 mg EOM/kg
had a higher (P < 0.05) carcass yield compared with the 36 mg EOM/kg, probiotic, organic acid and negative
control treatments. Intestinal weight of broilers was reduced (P < 0.05) by the addition of the essential oil
mixture both at inclusion rates of 36 mg EOM/kg and 48 mg EOM/kg and by the organic acid compared with
negative control. However, there were no significant differences on the intestinal weight between broilers fed
the diet supplemented probiotic and negative control. Deposition of abdominal fat and mortality of the
broilers were not affected by the dietary treatments.
The addition of a mixture of herbal essential oils to the diet increased (P < 0.05) body weight gain of
the broilers at 42 days of age. The improvement in body weight gain in this study agreed with results
reported by Hertrampf (2001), McCartney (2002), Tucker (2002), Alçiçek et al. (2003) and Demir et al.
(2003). However, contrary to these findings, Botsoglou et al. (2002) and Botsoglou et al. (2004) found that
the addition of an essential oil isolated from oregano to broiler diet had no beneficial effect on performance.
A beneficial effect on body weight gain was also found when broiler chicks were fed a diet supplemented
The South African Journal of Animal Science is available online at http://www.sasas.co.za/Sajas.html
South African Journal of Animal Science 2004, 34 (4)
© South African Society for Animal Science
221
with probiotic compared with organic acid and negative control, as reported by Cavazzoni et al. (1998), Jin
et al. (1998) and Zilkifli et al. (2000).
The addition of the essential oil mixture to the broiler diet improved (P < 0.05) feed conversion ratio
compared with the control and the organic acid supplemented diet at 42 days of age. The better feed
conversion ratio in our study supported the results of Mandal et al. (2000) and Jamroz & Kamel (2002) who
observed that the broilers receiving plant extracts had significantly better body weight gain than their
controls. Furthermore, Langhout (2000) and Williams & Losa (2001) reported that the inclusion of a blend of
essential oil to broiler diet improved not only feed efficiency, but also the digestion process. These results
suggest that the improved digestibility of the nutrients leads to a more balanced gut flora with the potential to
reduce the proportion of pathogenic bacteria. The benefits of the use of essential oils in broiler nutrition may
be due to the greater efficiency in the utilization of feed, resulting in enhanced growth.
The supplementation of the diet with 48 mg EOM/kg increased (P < 0.05) the carcass yields of the
broilers compared with other treatments, while significantly reduced the intestinal weight of the broiler. Our
findings are in agreement with those of Jamroz & Kamel (2002) who found higher slaughter percentages of
breast muscle in broilers. Contrary to our results on carcass yield, Mandal et al. (2000) observed that the
carcass yield was not affected by the dietary essential oil treatments.
Conclusions
The results obtained from this study indicated that the supplementation of a mixture of herbal essential
oils to the diet significantly improved the body weight gain, feed conversion ratio and carcass yield of
broilers when compared with organic acid and probiotic treatments. The herbal essential oil mixture may be
considered as a growth promoter similar to organic acids and probiotics with the potential to achieve an
environmental friendly broiler production system. However, more and detailed research are required on the
effect of essential oil supplementation to diet on performance of broilers.
Acknowledgements
Technical and financial assistance of Poultry Research Institute of Erbeyli, Aydın and Herba Ltd. Co.,
Izmir-Turkey is gratefully acknowledged.
References
Alçiçek, A., Bozkurt, M. & Çabuk, M., 2003. The effects of an essential oil combination derived from
selected herbs growing wild in Turkey on broiler performance. S. Afr. J. Anim. Sci. 33, 89-94.
Anonymous, 1991. Animal feeds-determination of metabolizable energy (chemical method). Turkish
Standards Institute (TSE), Publ. No. 9610, 1-3.
Azaz, D., Demirci, F., Satıl, F., Kürkçüoğlu, M. & Başer, K.H.C., 2002. Antimicrobial activity of some
Satureja oils. Z. Naturforsch. 57c, 817-821.
Bassett, R., 2000. Oreganos positive impact on poultry production. World Poultry-Elsevier 16 (9), 31-34.
Botsoglou, N.A., Christaki, E., Florou-Paneri, P., Giannenas, I., Papageorgiou, G. & Spais, A.B., 2004. The
effect of a mixture of herbal essential oils or á-tocopheryl acetate on performance parameters and
oxidation of body lipid in broilers. S. Afr. J. Anim. Sci. 34, 52-61.
Botsoglou, N.A., Florou-Paner, P., Christaki, E., Fletouris, D.J. & Spais, A.B., 2002. Effect of dietary
oregano essential oil on performance of chickens and on iron-induced lipid oxidation of breast, thigh
and abdominal fat tissues. Br. Poult. Sci. 43, 223-230.
Cavazzoni, V., Adami, A. & Castrovilli, C., 1998. Performance of broiler chickens supplemented with
Bacillus coagulans as probiotic. Br. Poult. Sci. 39, 526-529.
Cowan, M.M., 1999. Plant products as antimicrobial agents. Clin. Microbiol. Rev. 12, 564-582.
Demir, E., Sarica, S., Ozcan, M.A. & Suicmez, M., 2003. The use of natural feed additives as alternatives for
an antibiotic growth promoter in broiler diets. Br. Poult. Sci. 44, 44-45.
Denli, M., Okan, F. & Çelik, K., 2003. Effect of dietary probiotic, organic acid and antibiotic
supplementation to diets on broiler performance and carcass yield. Pakistan J. Nutr. 2 (2), 89-91.
Dorman, H.J.D. & Deans, S.G., 2000. Antimicrobial agent from plants: antimicrobial activity of plant
volatile oils. J. Appl. Microbiol. 88, 308-316.
Gill, C., 2001. Safe and sustainable feed ingredients. Feed Int. 22 (3), 40-45.
The South African Journal of Animal Science is available online at http://www.sasas.co.za/Sajas.html
South African Journal of Animal Science 2004, 34 (4)
© South African Society for Animal Science
222
Hertrampf, J.W., 2001. Alternative antibacterial performance promoters. Poult. Int. 40 (1), 50-52.
Jamroz, D. & Kamel, C., 2002. Plant extracts enhance broiler performance. In non ruminant nutrition:
Antimicrobial agents and plant extracts on immunity, health and performance. J. Anim. Sci. 80 (E.
Suppl. 1), pp. 41.
Jin, L.Z., Ho, Y.W., Abdullah, N. & Jalaludin, S., 1998. Growth performance, intestinal microbial
populations, and serum cholesterol of broilers fed diets containing Lactobacillus cultures. Poult. Sci.
77, 1259-1265.
Langhout, P., 2000. New additives for broiler chickens. World Poultry-Elsevier 16 (3), 22-27.
Mandal L., Biswas, T. & Sarkar, S.K., 2000. Broiler perform well on herbs or enzymes in maize diet. World
Poultry-Elsevier 16 (5), 19-21.
McCartney, E., 2002. The natural empire strikes back. Poult. Int. 41 (1), 36-42.
Naumann, C. & Bassler, R., 1993. Die chemische Untersuchung von Futtermitteln. Methodenbuch, Band III.
3. Erg.,VDLUFA-Verlag, Darmstadt.
Patten, J.D. & Waldroup, P.W., 1988. Use of organic acids in broiler diets. Poult. Sci. 67, 1178-1182.
SAS, 1985. Statistical Analysis Systems user’s guide (5th ed.). SAS Institute Inc., Raleigh North Carolina,
USA.
Tucker, L., 2002. Botanical broilers: Plant extracts to maintain poultry performance. Feed Int. 23, 26-29.
Ultee, A., Kets, E.P.W. & Smid, E.J., 1999. Mechanisms of action of carvacrol on the food borne pathogen
Bacillus cereus. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 65, 4606-4610.
Vanbelle, M., Teller, E. & Focan, M., 1990. Probiotics in animal nutrition: A review. Arch. Tierernahr. 40,
543-567.
Varel, V. H., 2002. Livestock manure odor abatement with plant-derived oils and nitrogen conservation with
urease inhibitors: A review. J. Anim. Sci. 80 (2), E1-E7.
Williams, P. & Losa, R., 2001. The use of essential oils and their compounds in poultry nutrition. World
Poultry-Elsevier 17 (4), 14-15.
Yeo, J. & Kim, K.I., 1997. Effect of feeding diets containing an antibiotic, probiotic or yucca extract on
growth and intestinal urease activity in broiler chicks. Poult. Sci. 76, 381-385.
Zilkifli, I., Abdullah, N., Azrin, N.M. & Ho, Y.W., 2000. Growth performance and immune response of two
commercial broiler strains fed diets containing Lactobacillus cultures and oxytetracycline under heat
stress condition. Br. Poult. Sci. 41, 593-597.
The South African Journal of Animal Science is available online at http://www.sasas.co.za/Sajas.html
... They have several beneficial effects on the health of broilers. OAs support the activities of digestive enzymes and secretions, antimicrobial activities, and growth promotion, whereas EOs contribute to nutrient digestibility, antimicrobial and antioxidative activities, and the reduction of pathogen colonization [4,11]. OAs and EOs are compounds that could be inactivated by the gastric environment. ...
... Other studies have reported that OAs and EOs have positive effects on BW even when they are used individually. At the end of a 42-day experimental process, Alcicek et al. [11] reported higher BWG in both the OA group (1937.5 g) and the EO group (2063.7 g) compared to the control group (1909.0 g). ...
... In addition, P(OA+EO) reduced the count of E. coli while increasing that of Lactobacillus spp. These findings are compatible with those reported in several previous studies [2,11,13,15,19,29]. These studies also found that OA-EO combinations improved growth performance, reduced intestinal pathogens, and increased beneficial bacteria. ...
... In our study, supplementation of thyme, especially at the 2 % level, resulted in a significant increase in the villus height of broilers as compared to the control birds. Phytogenic supplementation has been shown to improve gut microarchitecture by increasing villus height and surface area Banday et al., 2024a, b) and increase absorption and mucus secretion, hence reducing pathogen adherence in the intestines (Alcicek et al., 2004). Zeng et al. (2015) documented that thyme contains active compounds which can reduce intestinal infections by resisting pathogenic bacteria and increasing mature enterocytes, which improves villus height and absorption efficiency. ...
Article
Full-text available
This study investigates the potential of Thymus vulgaris as feed additive in broiler chicken. A total of 200 Vencobb male broiler chicks 1 week of age were randomly distributed into 4 dietary treatments: T1 (control) fed basal diet only, T2 (basal diet +1 % thyme powder), T3 (basal diet +1.5 % thyme powder), and T4 (basal diet +2 % thyme powder). Each group contained 5 replicates, and each replicate had 10 birds fed with a maize–soybean-based diet for 42 d. Our results show that during the overall period (7–42 d), the T4 group exhibited significantly (p<0.05) higher body weight gain (BWG) and the lowest feed conversion ratio (FCR). Supplementing thyme powder significantly (p<0.05) decreased the levels of blood cholesterol and triglycerides (LDL) compared to the control group. Birds receiving dietary thyme powder at a 2 % dose (T4) had significantly (p<0.05) raised serum levels of immunoglobulin G (IgG) and immunoglobulin M (IgM) and better anti-SRBC (sheep red blood cell) titre and cell-mediated immunity. Supplementation of thyme powder resulted in significantly (p<0.05) better antioxidant status in birds. Regarding the cecal microbiology, coliforms decreased (p<0.05) and lactobacilli increased (p<0.05) notably in thyme groups with high significance in the T4 group. Jejunal villus height increased significantly (p<0.05) in the T4 group compared to the control. In conclusion, supplementation of thyme powder at 2 % could serve as promising feed additive for improving the production performance and gut health of broiler chicken.
... Considering the negative effects of antibiotics, the use of organic acid and essential oil mixtures obtained from natural sources in poultry, alone or in combination, has gained popularity [3 , 4]. For example, it was determined that the feed conversion ratio of broiler chickens in the groups containing probiotics, organic acids and essential oil mixtures including thyme oil, laurel oil, sage oil, myrtle oil, fennel oil and citrus oil was significantly better than the control and organic acid groups [5]. ...
Article
The potential use of natural plants and essential oils as feed additives in poultry farming is a popular research area. In the presented study, the effects of laurel essential oil on growth and feed conversion performances, slaughter-carcass characteristics oxidative stress index and histopathological parameters in Japanese quails in LPS-induced inflammation model were investigated. The study groups were established as Control (C), laurel essential oil (LEO) group, lipopolysaccharide (LPS) group, laurel essential oil together with lipopolysaccharide (LEO+LPS) group. The live weights on the 19th, 26th and 33rd days were higher in the LEO+LPS and in the LEO group on the 36th day. Feed utilization was the worst in the LPS and the best in the LEO group. Non-eviscerated carcass yield was lower in the LPS group compared to the control, and the gizzard weight was higher in the LEO, LEO+LPS and LPS groups. The OSI value was observed as highest in the LPS group and the lowest in the LEO group. In addition, OSI value in the LEO group reduced importantly comparing with LEO+LPS group. Liver OSI values did not show any significant difference in all groups. Histopathologically, no significant difference was observed, in terms of fatty liver, congestion, degeneration necrosis and cell infiltration. The addition of laurel increased degeneration, necrosis and desquamation and cell infiltration in the lamina epithelialis in the intestine. In the intestines, cell infiltration was significantly increased in the LPS group compared to the control group. In addition, eosinophilic accumulations were detected in the brain in the LPS group. As a result, it was determined that laurel essential oil improved live weight and feed conversion rate, made a significant contribution to balancing the oxidant-antioxidant capacity ratio, and showed significant bioactivity, especially in terms of turning the negative effect of LPS into positive.
... The lowest feed intake was observed in T5 (0.02% red pepper + 0.02% black pepper), which differed significantly from the other treatments. This reduction in feed intake aligns with findings by Alcicek et al. (2004), who reported a similar trend when essential oils were added to broiler diets. Several studies, including those by Mohamed et al. (2012), Valiollahi et al. (2013), and Barazesh et al. (2013), have also documented reduced feed intake in broilers fed diets containing herbal extracts. ...
Article
Full-text available
A series of experiments were conducted to investigate the effects of red pepper and black pepper powder supplementation on feed intake, feed conversion ratio, and growth performance in broiler chickens. Two-hundred-day-old Cobb 500 Strain broiler chickens were randomly divided into five treatments, each replicated four times, with 10 birds per replication from second week. The basal feed was supplemented with ground red pepper and black pepper in varying proportions: T1 (control); T2 (basal diet + 0.02% red pepper); T3 (basal diet + 0.02% black pepper); T4 (basal diet + 0.01% red pepper + 0.01% black pepper); and T5 (basal diet + 0.02% red pepper + 0.02% black pepper). The results indicated that T5 (0.02% red pepper + 0.02% black pepper) showed the best performance (p < 0.05) in all growth parameters, including final body weight, weekly feed intake, and feed conversion ratio. The study demonstrated that supplementing broiler chickens with 0.02% red pepper and 0.02% black pepper significantly improved growth performance metrics such as body weight, weight gain rate, and feed efficiency. In conclusion, the inclusion of 0.02% red pepper and 0.02% black pepper powder in the basal feed is a simple and effective strategy to enhance the overall growth performance of broiler chickens.
... There are some studies on the effects of essential oil and fat metabolisms components on poultry (Xing and Li 2023). In studies conducted in quails and broilers, it was determined that essential oils improved live weight gain and feed utilization compared to the control group (Alcicek et al. 2004;Denli et al. 2004). In studies carried out in laying hens, it was observed to increase egg yield (Bilal et al. 2008;Bölükbaşi and Erhan 2007). ...
Article
Full-text available
Studies have shown that essential oils not only increase cell viability but also affect lipid metabolism in mammals. However, the extent to which these effects are realized in goose liver has not yet been fully elucidated. The object of research is to investigate the effects of four essential oil mixtures (juniper oil, mint oil, thyme oil, rosemary oil) on lipid metabolic gene expressions in goose. We measured mRNA levels of metabolic genes (ACSBG2, ELOVL1, ELOVL2, CYP2Cl9, CYP2K1), antioxidative gene (SOD1) and very low‐density lipoprotein triglyceride (VLDL) synthesis genes (APOB, FOXO1, MTTP), in goose (Anser anser) liver. Search groups were formed as C (control; no additives), EK1 (0.4 mL/L essential oil mixture supplemented) and EK2 (0.8 mL/L essential oil mixture supplemented). The relative expression levels of genes in the liver were measured using RT‐qPCR. β‐Actin was used as reference gene control for normalization of qPCR data. As a result, essential oil supplementation downregulated metabolic genes compared to the control group. APOB gene among VLDL genes was significantly downregulated. Antioxidative effect gene was downregulated in parallel with the others. This indicates that essential oil intake with drinking water downregulates the genes involved in lipid metabolism in goose liver. Our data show that essential oils have a significant effect on the regulation of genes and pathways involved in hepatic lipid metabolism.
... These studies have also observed that addition of wheat endogenous phytase almost completely degraded phytic acid from fonio porridge and enhanced phosphorous level. Moreover, other scientists have also observed weight gains in broilers, chicks, catfish, broiler, rainbow trout and labeo rohita fed with recombinant phytase producing Lactobacillus gasseri TDCC65 or either with plant, microbial or commercial phytase [30,41,42]. ...
... A healthy gut can improve nutrient absorption and utilization, leading to a better feed conversion ratio and growth. Previous studies (Alcicek et al., 2004;Huang et al., 2009) reported an increase in growth performance in zinc-supplemented diets fed to chickens. In contrast to these findings, Sunder et al. (2008) reported that broiler weights were not significantly improved with zinc supplementation, but the diet was able to enhance the immune response, mineral retention, and alleviation of stress in broiler chickens. ...
Article
Full-text available
The present study evaluated aspects of the physiological responses of vaccinated and unvaccinated broiler chickens administered zinc oxide as a supplement. An aggregate of 120 broiler chicks with an original weight of 40 ± 0.5 g was used in this study. This study used a completely randomized design of four treatments replicated three times with 10 chickens per replicate. The chickens were served broiler's feed in the following order; treatment 1 was the control without zinc supplementation but the birds were vaccinated (NZV), treatment 2 received 200 mg Zinc/litre of water and no vaccination (ZNV), treatment 3 received 200 mg Zinc/litre of water and vaccination (ZV), and treatment 4 was the negative control without Zinc oxide and Vaccination (NZNV). The chickens were raised in the deep litter pens. Routine medications were administered to all the birds, while vaccines were administered only to chicks on treatments 1 and 3. The parameters evaluated were growth performance, body and rectal temperature, antibody, and haematology. The Zinc oxide increased weight gain, improved feed efficiency, and decreased rectal temperature significantly (p≤0.05). Zinc with vaccines, significantly (p≤0.05) increased haemagglutination inhibition (HI) antibody titers against Newcastle Disease (ND) and Infectious Bursal Disease (IBD). The positive control had considerably increased (p≤0.05) levels of packed cell volume (PCV) (31.33 ± 0.33%), mean cell haemoglobin (MCH) (33.33 ± 0.38 pg), and mean cell volume (MCV) (93.67 ± 0.41 fL). Zinc oxide supplementation is necessary in broiler production to complement vaccination.
... Despite the aromatic vegetables and their extracts are used as medicines in the treatment of diseases, their stimulative effects on the growth in animal feeding are not taken into consideration. Due to the prohibition of the antimicrobials as stimulants, however, the vegetable extracts as alternative feed supplements have gained importance (Alcicek et al., 2004). ...
... Alçiçek et al. 2004;Mountzouris et al. 2011;Abd El-Hack et al. 2022) which in turn is related to increased performance(Getachew 2016; Hargis et al. 2021;Abd El-Hack et al. 2022). ...
Chapter
The use of antibiotics in commercial poultry is being phased out due in part to changing consumer preferences and increased concern for antibiotic resistance. Consumer preference is a major market driver and the use of antibiotics growth promoters over time has led to antimicrobial resistance. This is also true in the case of anticoccidial drugs in Eimeria infections, the causative agent of coccidiosis. Coccidiosis is a widespread and expensive parasitic disease in poultry that results in significant economic losses yearly from performance losses. Because the use of antibiotics is being discouraged, poultry producers are seeking out new methods to mitigate disease from Eimeria in addition to focusing on existing methods such as vaccination. Prevention of coccidiosis is key in minimizing losses and methods that align with organic standards include vaccination, careful flock management, biosecurity, and promoting strong gut health using prebiotics, probiotics, and phytogenic substances. Promoting gut health, which can bolster the overall health of a flock is a high interest and promising avenue for coccidiosis prophylaxis. Phytogenic substances, while shown to aid in gut health, also have merit in reducing coccidiosis severity. Additionally, there are challenges with studying coccidiosis as Eimeria oocysts require a living host to reproduce and amplify. For this reason, in vitro storage is widely used to preserve oocysts for research. To understand how to counter the challenges of coccidiosis in poultry, it is important to examine all phases of Eimeria research, including methods for in vitro research, processing, and storage. The use of avian intestinal enteroids is an interesting method for studying Eimeria host interactions, and autofluorescent microscopy is a promising tool for assessing oocyst integrity in vitro. Current methods for suspending and storing Eimeria oocysts involve aqueous potassium dichromate (PDC), which is a dangerous chemical for lab personnel and has risks associated with its use. Chlorhexidine (CHX) salts, which are gentle enough to be utilized commonly in dental products, demonstrated strong antimicrobial properties and were well tolerated by Eimeria oocysts in suspension. The purpose of this chapter is to address the growing concern of coccidiosis in response to the shift toward organic practices, to discuss potential strategies that can be used to control coccidiosis and to explore new methods for in vitro research and storage of Eimeria oocysts.
Chapter
Phytogenic and Phytochemical as Alternative Feed Additives for Animal Production explores the use of plant-derived compounds as innovative feed additives to enhance animal health and productivity. With growing concerns over antibiotic resistance and the ban on antibiotics as growth promoters, this book highlights phytogenic feed additives (PFAs) such as essential oils, flavonoids, and saponins as sustainable and effective alternatives. The book covers various PFAs, including thyme, turmeric, milk thistle, rosemary, bee pollen, and propolis, and their roles in improving growth rates, gut health, immunity, and product quality while mitigating environmental and health risks. The book also provides practical insights for the livestock industry and food sectors to enhance animal well-being and food safety. Key Features: - Reviews the latest research on natural PFAs. - Highlights their antioxidant, antimicrobial, and growth-promoting properties. - Provides practical applications for sustainable livestock production.
Article
Full-text available
Performance parameters and oxidation of body lipids of broiler chickens were investigated when their diet was supplemented with a commercial preparation of essential oils (Apacox) derived from selected herbs. One hundred and twenty day-old Cobb-500 female chicks were divided into four groups with three replicates each. One group received the basal diet, the control. The three experimental diets consisted of the basal diet to which either 200 mg α-tocopheryl acetate/kg (Toc200 group), Apacox at 0.5 g/kg (Apa0.5 group) or Apacox at 1.0 g/kg diet (Apa1.0 group) was added. At the end of the 42 day feeding period there were no differences in initial and final body weights, daily weight gains, daily feed intakes and feed conversion ratios between treatments, and no mortalities were recorded. It is concluded that the mixture of herbal essential oils exerted no growth-promoting effect when incorporated in the chicken diet. The progress of lipid oxidation was assessed in raw and heat treated breast and thigh muscle at 0, 3, 6 and 9 days of refrigerated storage at 4°C. Results showed that Apacox retarded lipid oxidation in both raw and heat treated breast and thigh muscles at all time points, with the supplementation level of 1.0 g/kg diet being more effective in retarding lipid oxidation than the 0.5 g Apacox/kg treatment. The retardation offered by Apacox was, however, inferior to that exhibited by α-tocopheryl acetate supplementation. Raw and heat treated thigh muscle samples were more susceptible to oxidation compared to breast muscle, although the latter contained α-tocopherol at markedly lower concentrations.
Article
Full-text available
Confined animal feeding operations are under environmental scrutiny for production of large quantitiesofwasteinasmallarea.Thewastecanresult in odor,global warminggases, andthe transferof nutri- ents and pathogens to water and food sources. An in- complete anaerobic degradation of the carbohydrate, protein, and lipid components in waste is the primary cause of odor emissions. This incomplete degradation results in the formation of short-chain volatile fatty acids (VFA), amines and other nitrogenous compounds, and sulfur-containing compounds. Our objectives are to provide simple, cost-effective, and environmentally sound solutions to control odor and pathogens in live- stock waste, with nutrient management a top priority. Previous studies have indicated that a urease inhibitor, N-(n-butyl) thiophosphoric triamide, can be used to re- duce urea hydrolysis in beef cattle feedlot pens, con- serve nitrogen, and inhibit ammonia emissions that contribute to odor. Our laboratory studies with antimi- crobial plant-derived oils, thymol and carvacrol, at 2 g/
Article
Full-text available
A study was conducted with female broilers to investigate the effects of five herbal natural feed additives as alternative to an antibiotic growth promoter. In the experiment, a total of seventy-two day-old female broiler chicks were randomly assigned to six groups containing 12 chicks each and raised from 0 to 42 d of age. The treatment groups were supplemented with antibiotic growth promoter, oregano, du-sacch, quiponin, garlic and thyme powder, respectively. Differences in body weight gain, feed intake and feed efficiency of broilers fed diets supplemented with antibiotic growth promoter and five herbal natural feed additives were not significant from 0 to 42 d of age. In addition, some blood parameters and the concentration of E. coli in caecum were not significantly affected (P > 0.05) by the dietary treatments. The depth of crypts in ileum was significantly reduced (P < 0.05) by inclusion of garlic and thyme in diets in comparison to diets supplemented with antibiotic growth promoter, oregano and du-sacch. The feed costs per kg of weight gain in broilers fed diets supplemented with oregano, garlic and thyme was higher than in those given diets supplemented with du-sacch, quiponin and antibiotic growth promoter. Results of this experiment demonstrated that the herbal natural feed additives such as oregano, du-sacch, quiponin, garlic and thyme may be used as alternatives to an antibiotic growth promoter in broiler production.
Article
Full-text available
One thousand two hundred and fifty sexed day-old broiler chicks obtained from a commercial hatchery were divided randomly into five treatment groups (negative control, antibiotic and essential oil combination (EOC) at three levels) of 250 birds each. Each treatment group was further sub-divided into five replicates of 50 birds (25 male and 25 female) per replicate. The oil in the EOC was extracted from different herbs growing in Turkey. The EOC at 24, 48 or 72 mg/kg diet and an antibiotic at 10 mg avilamycin/kg diet were added to the basal diet. There were significant effects of dietary treatments on body weight, feed intake (except at day 42), feed conversion ratio and carcass yield at 21 and 42 days. Body weights were significantly different between the treatments. The birds fed the diet containing 48 mg essential oil/kg were the highest, followed by those receiving the diets containing 72 mg essential oil/kg, the antibiotic, the negative control and the 24 mg essential oil/kg at day 42, respectively. From 1 to 21 and 1 to 42 days of age, feed conversion ratios were improved significantly by the supplementation with 48 and 72 mg essential oil/kg diet. The feed intakes were significantly different between the treatments at 21 days, but not at 42 days. Supplementation in excess of 48 mg EOC/kg had no additional beneficial effect on body weight, feed intake, feed conversion ratio and carcass yield. The EOC, a feed additive of natural origin, may be considered as a potential growth promoter in broiler production.
Article
A dyeing range for dyeing loose stock, sliver and tow by use of a radio-frequency treatment is described. The Smith-Fastran system (from Smith Engineering Projects Ltd) is based on the Fastran process developed by Dawson International Ltd. Savings in energy, water and labour are briefly compared with traditional vat dyeing.
Article
The specific aim of this study was to determine the effects of the supplementation of separate probiotic (protexin), including organic acid combination, plant extracts, mineral salts (genex) and antibiotic (flavomycin) to broiler diets on performance, abdominal fat weight, abdominal fat percentage, liver weight, intestinal weight, intestinal length, intestinal pH, carcass weight, carcass yield of broiler chicks. In this study, 84 one-day old male broiler chicks were used and divided equally into 6 groups. When the control group was fed a diet without supplemented diet probiotic (0.1% protexin), organic acid (0.2% genex), probiotic + organic acid (0.1% protexin + 0.2% genex), antibiotic (0.15% flavomycin) and antibiotic + organic acid (0.15% flavomycin +0.2% genex) were added to the diets of the experimental groups respectively. The experimental period was 42 days. The results obtained in the experiment showed that the group receiving 0.15% flavomycin + 0.2% genex supplemented in the basal diet was exhibited higher body weight gain, feed intake and carcass weight and better feed efficiency respectively than the control and other groups (P<0.05). However liver weight, intestinal pH, and abdominal fat weight were not affected significantly by probiotic, antibiotic and organic acid treatments (P>0.05).