Effects of Kelp Seaweed (Ascophyllum Nodosum) on Growth Performance During the Growing Period of an Imported Heavy-Weight-Line of Broad Breasted Bronze Turkeys

Abstract

The study was investigated to evaluate the potentials of using Ascophyllum nodosum (Kelp meal, a Canadian commercial product form of that seaweed) as a natural feed additive through evaluating its effect on the growth performance, blood parameters, and meat quality of Broad Breasted Bronze (BBB a heavy strain selected line) commercial turkeys. Thirty-four imported BBB turkeys at 10 weeks of age were divided randomly into three treatments with two replicates (with unequal numbers in some of these replicates). All birds were fed a basal diet (Control, C) and two groups (i.e. treatments 2& 3) were having their diets additionally supplemented with A. nodosum (Kelp) at 1% and 2% from 10 until marketing at 21wks. of age. Body weight, gain in weight and feed conversion have been generally improved, but feed intake has been slightly decreased by feeding those turkey broilers on the Kelp supported diets. Feeding on the tested seaweed diet improved significantly (P≤ 0.05) the percentage of eviscerated weight. Diets supported additionally with A. nodosum recorded generally the best blood parameters and meat quality measures compared to control. Both levels of Kelps seaweed supplementation (i.e. treatments 2& 3) recorded the lowest blood figures, in varying degrees, of total proteins, AST, ALT, triglycerides, cholesterol and creatinine levels; while recorded the highest blood values, at miscellaneous extents, of albumin and globulin. Significant treatment effects (P 0.05 or P 0.01) were detected on liver and blood uric acid and meat color quality (i.e. thigh meat lightness, thighs and breast meat redness and yellowness colors). It seemed from the results that Kelp meal (A. nodosum) supplementation up to 2%, (i.e. treatments 2& 3), to basal diets would beneficially support growth performance, blood parameters, and meat quality of BBB turkey broilers. These effects are likely to make A. nodosum acts as promising potential growth promoter.

Quality Traits and Nutritional Value of Pork and Poultry Meat from Animals Fed with Seaweeds

“…This has been reported previously in Ross 308 broilers fed with Spirulina, which accumulated more total carotenoids [ 30 ]. The effect of dietary seaweed on meat colour has also been reported in Broad Breasted Bronze turkeys fed 1% and 2% A. nodosum , where redness intensity (a*) was increased in both breast and thigh meat in response to dietary treatments [ 78 ]. The latter seaweed has also been fed to broilers with up to 2% level of inclusion without significant effects on lipid oxidation of breast meat.…”