Effects of functional oils on the growth, carcass and meat characteristics, and intestinal morphology of commercial turkey toms

Abstract

Two experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects of functional oils containing cashew nutshell and castor oil on turkey performance and intestinal morphology. In experiment 1, 585 hatchlings were randomly placed in 15 replicate floor pens, (13 poults/pen) with recycled litter and provided feed and water ad libitum . Birds were randomly assigned to 3 dietary treatments from 1 to 12 wk: nonmedicated control, 0.15% functional oils, and 66-ppm monensin. From wk 13 to 20, each initial treatment group was further divided into 3 treatments—control (no additive), 0.15% of functional oils, or 20 ppm of virginiamycin to produce 9 different treatments, 5 replicate pens per treatment. Data on feed weights were collected weekly, and body weight bi-weekly. At termination (20 wk), birds were euthanized, and their meat was processed to determine mass of carcass sections and meat quality, while intestinal samples were collected for histology. In experiment 1, toms fed monensin or functional oils were 10.5 and 4.5% heavier ( P < 0.05), respectively, than the controls at 12 wk. Birds fed monensin had a 4% improvement ( P < 0.05) in feed conversion as compared to the other treatments. Neither virginiamycin nor the functional oils affected bird performance when fed from 13 to 20 wk. The jejunum villi surface area at 3 wk was most enhanced ( P < 0.05) for the poults fed monensin. Supplementation with functional oils significantly reduced leg yield and thiobarbituric-acid reactive substances of white meat after 7 D of storage ( P < 0.05). There were no effects on performance or carcass characteristics in experiment 2. While additional confirmatory studies are needed, functional oils in the diet of turkey toms may be a viable alternative to antibiotic growth promotants.

Effect of Castor and Cashew Nut Shell Oils, Selenium and Vitamin E as Antioxidants on the Health and Meat Stability of Lambs Fed a High-Concentrate Diet

“…Braz et al [ 58 ] found no difference in lipid peroxidation in the blood serum, liver, magnum and uterus of laying hens fed with cashew nut shell liquid, although lower lipid peroxidation was found in the birds’ ovaries. Ferket et al [ 61 ] found reduced values of TBARS in the meat of turkeys treated with cashew nut shell liquid and castor oil (Essential: Oligo Basics, 0.15%) after seven days of storage. Despite this positive result, it is worth mentioning the differences in dosage and species evaluated.…”

Supplemental Effects of Functional Oils on the Modulation of Mucosa-Associated Microbiota, Intestinal Health, and Growth Performance of Nursery Pigs

“…This study showed that increasing supplementation of functional oils tended to increase the villus height and crypt depth in the mid-jejunum, without affecting other morphology parameters. Ferket et al [16] tested the same source of functional oils and did observe an increase in the villus height and crypt depth of turkey poults. Therefore, the tendency of the reduction of the oxidative stress status found in the current study due to increasing supplementation of functional oils can partially explain the improvement in jejunal morphology.…”

“…Phytobiotics including essential oils and herbal extracts have been studied as alternatives to AGP for swine and poultry [11][12][13][14] to promote functions beyond their energy value such as restoring the impaired villus-crypt structure as well as improving carcass characteristics [15][16][17]. Castor oil, which is mainly composed of ricinoleic acid, is known to have antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory effects when ingested orally by guinea pigs [18].…”

“…Cashew nutshell liquid contains alkylphenolic oil, mainly composed of anacardic acid, cardanol, cardol, and methylcardol [22], providing anti-inflammatory and antioxidative effects that may lead to a reduction of diarrhea [23]. A combination of castor oil and cashew nutshell liquid as a blend provided antimicrobial and antioxidant effects, enhanced growth performance and intestinal structure in poultry [16,17,19,20], and may also apply to nursery pigs susceptible to intestinal challenges upon weaning.…”

Efectos de la restricción del pienso y suplementación con alfalfa sobre el rendimiento productivo, características de carcasa, índices cardiacos y parámetros hematológicos del pavo criado en condiciones hipobáricas

“…Asimismo, el suplemento altamente digestible a base de 95.6% de maltodextrina en la fase de pre-sacrificio evita pérdida de peso y reduce la carga microbiana digestiva (Rathgeber et al, 2007). También se sugiere el uso de aceites funcionales en la dieta del pavo como una alternativa viable a los antibióticos promotores de crecimiento (Ferket et al, 2020) y que mayores niveles de metionina y arginina en la dieta favorecen el estado inmunológico del pavo (Jankowski et al, 2020). Por otro lado, densidades de crianza de 0.42 m 2 por ave de 5 a 20 semanas de edad favorece la crianza de pavos más saludables y con mejor rendimiento (Bartz et al, 2020), en tanto que la crianza en condiciones hipobáricas naturales, el imidapril inhibe la remodelación ventricular derecha inducida por baja la temperatura ambiental (Hao et al, 2013).…”