Effect of Rumex nervosus leaves as a dietary supplement in broiler diets on the breast quality characteristics of broiler chickens

Abstract

The leaves of Rumex nervosus (RNL) have beneficial effects associated with phytochemical products, such as gallic acid (GA), and could therefore have a positive effect on breast quality traits in broilers. This study aimed to assess the potential effects of supplementation with RNL as a natural herb on breast quality, carcass characteristics, and production indices of broilers. A total of 120 broiler chicks were arbitrarily assigned to four dietary treatment groups, each with five replicates (♂:♀ = 3:3 per replicate). Each experimental meal was designed to contain a basal diet with 0 g RNL (CONT), 1 g RNL (T1), 3 g RNL (T2), and 5 g RNL (T3). During the study, production parameters were collected for each replicate. On day 34, one male broiler from each replicate was slaughtered for breast meat quality parameters. The present findings revealed that broilers treated with T2 had a larger absolute carcass weight (g) and dressing yield (%) (P < 0.05) than the other treatments. The relative weight of the intestine increased with increasing RNL doses up to 3 g. In terms of drip loss (DL), water-holding capacity (WHC), myofibrillar fragmentation index (MFI), shear force (SF) (as an indicator of tenderness), and springiness, T1 outperformed T2 and T3. The pH, MFI, SF, and springiness of meat decreased significantly at T3. Based on these characteristics, it was concluded that the use of RNL as a natural preservative, especially at T1, can extend the shelf life and quality characteristics of fresh broiler carcasses.

Keywords

• Breast quality
• broilers
• carcass traits
• Europe production index
• Rumex nervosus leaves
• M. Luisa Escudero-Gilete, Universidad de Sevilla, Spain