Influence of a Commercial Synbiotic Administered In Ovo and In-Water on Broiler Chicken Performance and Meat Quality
Siria Tavaniello,
Davide De Marzo,
Marek Bednarczyk,
Marisa Palazzo,
Sanije Zejnelhoxha,
Mengjun Wu,
Meng Peng,
Katarzyna Stadnicka,
Giuseppe Maiorano
Affiliations
Siria Tavaniello
Department of Agricultural, Environmental and Food Sciences, University of Molise, 86100 Campobasso, Italy
Davide De Marzo
Department of Precision and Regenerative Medicine and Jonian Area, Section of Veterinary Science and Animal Production, University of Bari ‘Aldo Moro’, 70010 Valenzano, Italy
Marek Bednarczyk
Department of Animal Biotechnology and Genetics, Bydgoszcz University of Science and Technology, 85-084 Bydgoszcz, Poland
Marisa Palazzo
Department of Agricultural, Environmental and Food Sciences, University of Molise, 86100 Campobasso, Italy
Sanije Zejnelhoxha
Department of Agricultural, Environmental and Food Sciences, University of Molise, 86100 Campobasso, Italy
Mengjun Wu
Department of Agricultural, Environmental and Food Sciences, University of Molise, 86100 Campobasso, Italy
Meng Peng
Department of Agricultural, Environmental and Food Sciences, University of Molise, 86100 Campobasso, Italy
Katarzyna Stadnicka
Department of Oncology, Faculty of Health Sciences, Collegium Medicum Nicolaus Copernicus University, Łukasiewicza 1, 85-821 Bydgoszcz, Poland
Giuseppe Maiorano
Department of Agricultural, Environmental and Food Sciences, University of Molise, 86100 Campobasso, Italy
The present study aimed to test the synbiotic PoultryStar® solUS delivered in ovo to evaluate its effect on hatchability, productive performance and meat quality, compared to its post-hatch administration in water. On the twelfth day of embryonic incubation, 1200 fertile eggs were divided into synbiotic groups injected with 2 mg/embryo (T1) and 3 mg/embryo (T2), a saline group injected with physiological saline and an uninjected control group (C). After hatching, 120 male chicks/group were reared and chicks from the saline group were supplemented with the synbiotic via drinking water (T3). Hatchability was low in both T1 and T2 groups. Growth performance was not affected by the treatments. However, in the second rearing phase (15–36 days), birds from the C and T3 groups were heavier than T1 birds, due to a higher feed intake and daily weight gain. Neither route of synbiotic administration influenced final body weight (at 56 days), weight and yield of the carcass or commercial cuts. Physico-chemical properties, total lipid, cholesterol and fatty acid composition of breast muscle were not affected by the treatments. Considering its exploratory nature, this study has raised many questions that need further investigation, such as the bioactive combination and the effect on embryonic development.
