Alfalfa meal as a source of carotenoids in combination with ascorbic acid in the diet of laying hens

Abstract

The purpose of the experiment was to determine how the addition of dehydrated alfalfa (DA) and ascorbic acid (AA) into the diet of hens influences the performance characteristics and egg quality characterised by physical parameters, yolk carotenoid content, and the oxidative stability of yolks. Two hundred and forty Hisex Brown hens were divided into 6 treatment groups according to the level of DA (0 and 40 g/kg) and concentration of AA (0, 100, and 200 mg/kg) in the diet. Hen-day egg production and egg mass production were reduced by the supplement of DA (P < 0.001) and AA (P = 0.017). The addition of DA itself increased the feed intake per egg (P < 0.001) and the feed conversion ratio (P < 0.001). The heaviest eggs (P < 0.001) were laid by hens fed a diet with 100 mg/kg of AA (67.6 g). The AA supplement improved egg content quality, i.e., Haugh units (P < 0.001), albumen index (P < 0.001), and yolk index (P < 0.001), whereas the addition of DA increased values of yolk colour (P < 0.001) and had a negative effect on shell quality. The interaction of DA and AA was detected in the zeaxanthin concentration in the yolks (P = 0.002). The highest concentration was found in eggs from hens fed a diet with a DA supplement and 100 or 200 mg/kg of AA (17.33 or 17.25 mg/kg dry matter of yolk). In addition, 40 g/kg of DA significantly increased the concentration of other carotenoids, lutein (P < 0.001) and β-carotene (P < 0.001) in the yolks and increased the oxidative stability of fresh eggs (P < 0.001). The results suggest that adding DA in the amount of 40 g/kg to the hen diet provides a good source of carotenoids and, in combination with AA, a better deposition of carotenoids in egg yolks. On the other hand, DA deteriorates performance and shell quality.

Effects of dietary supplementation of alfalfa meal and rice bran on growth performance, carcass characteristics and intestinal microbiota in broilers

“…In line with the results of this study, Yıldız et al (2020) reported that alfalfa meal has 1650 kcal/kg metabolizable energy, showing 17-20% crude protein, 20-25% crude cellulose, 1.50% Ca, 0.25% P. Alfalfa is most often added to poultry diets as a source of carotenoids for improving yolk colour and skin pigmentation (Olgun and Yıldız, 2015). Analyzing the content of carotenoids in dried alfalfa, Englmaierova et al (2019) found 86.30 mg/kg lutein and 90.30 mg/kg zeaxanthin, values higher than that observed in this study, when it was analyzed alfalfa meal.…”

“…Also, it contains many functional components such as polysaccharides, flavonoids, xanthophylls, β-carotene, tocopherol (Ouyang et al, 2016). Due to the high content of saponins (2-3% of dry matter), alfalfa meal has hypocholesterolaemic, anticarcinogenic, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant activities (Englmaierova et al, 2019).…”

Nutrient digestibility, performance, and egg quality traits of quails raised in different stocking densities and ascorbic acid supplementation in a hot, tropical environment

“…AA is also required for mineral and amino acid metabolism, as well as the production of white blood cells required for birds' immune status [9]. The positive effects of AA supplementation have been documented in breeder or laying hens [12,14,15] and quails [16,17], although those effects indicated variable results.…”

Chemical composition of dietary alfalfa and its effectiveness on broiler chicken thigh meat quality

“…From the bioactive compounds with antioxidant potential determined in alfalfa, TPC, lutein, and zeaxanthin were dominants, followed by TAC. Generally, alfalfa meal has been used as a source of carotenoids in poultry nutrition to enhance the egg yolk colour or chicken meat skin (Englmaierová et al 2019). However, recent literature data reported that it can be a considerable source of compounds with antioxidant potential Guo et al 2022).…”

“…Alfalfa, also known as Medicago sativa L., may be employed as a plant-derived antioxidant ingredient in broiler chicken feed, according to a small number of studies Bobko et al 2021;Kwiecień et al 2021) with beneficial effects on meat quality. Numerous studies tested the effect of alfalfa as a feed additive in rabbits' meat quality , laying hens as a source of carotenoids (Englmaierová et al 2019) or as gross forage for ruminants (Xu et al 2023). However, limited information is available on the use of alfalfa as a feed additive in broiler chicken, mostly because of its high dietary fibre content, which limits its usage (He et al 2021) because it considerably influences production performances.…”