Research Article: Effects of bacteria-enzyme co-fermented Chinese herbal medicine on growth performance, apparent nutrient digestibility, meat quality, and immune function in broilers
Abstract:
This experiment aimed to investigate the effects of bacteria-enzyme co-fermented Chinese herbal medicine on growth performance, apparent nutrient digestibility, meat quality, and immune function in broilers. Four hundred one-day-old, uniformly healthy Arbor Acres broiler chicks were randomly divided into 5 groups with 8 replicates of 10 chicks each. Using a single-factor randomized design, the control group received a basal diet, the unfermented herbs group received the basal diet supplemented with 1% unfermented Chinese herbal medicine, and three treatment groups received the basal diet supplemented with 0.5, 1, and 1.5% bacteria-enzyme co-fermented Chinese herbal medicine, respectively. The feeding trial lasted 42?days. Upon completion, three broilers were randomly selected from each replicate for a 4-day metabolism trial to determine apparent nutrient digestibility. Results showed that compared to the control group, the final body weight and average daily gain were significantly increased ( p <?0.05), and the feed-to-gain ratio was significantly decreased ( p <?0.05) in the groups supplemented with 1 and 1.5% co-fermented herbs. The apparent digestibility of dry matter, crude ash, and gross energy was significantly higher ( p <?0.05) in the 1 and 1.5% co-fermented herbs groups than in the control group. All three co-fermented herbs supplementation groups exhibited significantly higher apparent digestibility of crude protein, ether extract, and crude fiber compared to the control group ( p <?0.05). Breast muscle drip loss and shear force were significantly reduced ( p <?0.05) in the 1 and 1.5% co-fermented herbs groups compared to the control, with no significant difference between these two groups ( p >?0.05). All herbs-supplemented groups showed significantly higher serum IgA, IgG, and IL-2 levels and significantly lower IL-1? levels than the control group ( p <?0.05). In conclusion, supplementing Arbor Acres broiler diets with bacteria-enzyme co-fermented Chinese herbal medicine effectively enhanced growth performance and apparent nutrient digestibility, improved meat quality, and boosted immune function. Comprehensive consideration suggests that the recommended inclusion level of bacteria-enzyme co-fermented Chinese herbal medicine in Arbor Acres broiler diets under this experimental condition is 1%.
Introduction:
Under the context of a complete ban on antibiotics in feed, Chinese herbal medicine has garnered widespread attention in intensive livestock and poultry farming due to its advantages of being environmentally friendly, safe, low in toxicity and side effects, and posing minimal risks of drug resistance ( 1 , 2 ). China boasts abundant herbal resources, with nearly 12,000 medicinal plant species currently available as potential bases for herbal feed additives. Through rational formulation and application, these herbs…
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