Dose titration of plantain herb (Plantago lanceolata L.) supplementation on growth performance, serum antioxidants status, liver enzymatic activity and meat quality in broiler chickens

Abstract

This study was aimed to find out the suitable dose of fresh plantain (Plantago lanceolata L.) supplementation for optimum growth, serum antioxidants status, liver health, and meat quality in broilers. A total of 1152-days-old Cobb-500 broilers (average weight: 45 ± 0.7 g) were randomly assigned into four dietary treatments, including (i) control (CON): corn-soya based basal diet, and plantain (PL) supplemented groups (ii) PL40: CON þ 40 g fresh PL/kg diet; (iii) PL80: CON þ 80 g fresh PL/kg diet; and (iv) PL120: CON þ 120 g fresh PL/kg diet. Improved growth efficiency (p < .05) was observed in PL supplemented groups compared to CON, where PL80 and PL120 groups had the highest value. Serum superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase concentrations were comparable in the PL80 and PL120 groups, but higher (p < .05) than other groups. The lowest concentrations of aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase were found in the PL80 group, while alkaline phosphatase was the highest in the PL40 group. Furthermore, the PL80 group exhibited the lowest (p ¼ .001) abdominal fat content and the highest (p ¼ .002) breast meat yield. Meat linoleic acid content was nevertheless improved linearly with PL supplement levels, and the highest value was found in the PL120 group. Furthermore, the maximum meat redness (a à ) was observed in PL80 and PL120 groups, which was approximately twice that of the CON. Overall, the growth and health responses of both PL80 and PL120 groups were similar, while the latter had improved the meat fatty acid profile. HIGHLIGHTSSupplementation of 80 g plantain/kg diet showed optimum growth performance, health status, and plasma antioxidants level in broilers. 120 g plantain/kg diet might be supplemented with the purpose of producing value-added broiler meat.

Combined impact of lemongrass and spearmint herbs on performance, serum metabolites, liver enzymes, and meat quality of broiler

“…Furthermore, feeding bioactive component-rich herbs to birds may boost serum antioxidant status, resulting in lower reactive oxygen species, oxidative stress, peroxidation, and serum TG concentration [ 4 , 28 ]. This lower serum TC and TGs may suppress the fatty acid transport from the liver to adipose tissue, resulting in lower abdominal fat content as well as higher DY in the birds fed herbal rations [ 29 ], which is similar to the previous findings [ 20 , 22 ]. Birds served herbal rations showed a tendency toward higher liver percent due to lower dietary fat absorption [ 30 ], lipase activity [ 31 ], and/or hepatic lipogenesis [ 32 ] in broilers.…”

“…Herbs and their extracts are gaining much attention as a replacement for AGPs in birds because they boost bird performance and product quality [ 17 – 20 ]. Like other herbs, lemongrass powder or oil and spearmint powder or oil used as supplements in rations accelerated broiler performance [ 12 , 21 , 22 ], which is related to this study.…”

“…The higher iron concentration in meat indicates a darker color, similar to the current study. Another reason for the improved redness of meat in birds given herbal rations seems to be that herbs are a well-known source of bioactive components that boost serum antioxidant capacity in broilers [ 20 ]. These higher levels of serum antioxidants reduced phospholipase A2 activity and lipid oxidation, which are responsible for the generation of brown metmyoglobin from bright red oxygenated myoglobin, which is associated with the red color of meat [ 41 – 43 ].…”

Antioxidant Contents in a Mediterranean Population of Plantago lanceolata L. Exploited for Quarry Reclamation Interventions

“…It is popular fodder crop in New Zealand, where the most intensive research on its use and role in permanent grasslands has been carried out [ 5 , 6 , 7 ]. The leaf is highly palatable to grazing animals, providing a well-appreciated mineral- and protein-enriched forage, which contains a range of biologically active compounds, often in large quantities, to impart anti-oxidative, enzyme inhibitory and anthelmintic activities in farm animals [ 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 ]. In addition, plantain represents a valuable source of raw material for various industrial applications [ 12 ], and preliminary observations indicated its promising utilization as a pioneer plant for revegetation in quarry reclamation interventions [ 13 ].…”

Effect of botanical composition of free-range areas on production results and selected meat quality parameters of organic Yellowleg Partridge chickens

“…The positive impact of many plants on weight gain and the chemical composition of the meat of fattening chickens has been demonstrated in studies (Ángeles-Coronado et al, 2013). The favourable impact of narrowleaf plantain (Plantago lanceolata L.), used as a fortifying and fodder herb for ruminants and poultry, has been demonstrated (Camy et al, 2020;Redoy et al, 2021). This herb boasts a broad phytochemical profile: acteoside, aucubin and catalpol, which have a favourable impact on the health and performance of animals (Yap et al, 2019).…”