Effects of bamboo charcoal and bamboo leaf supplementation on performance and meat quality in chickens

Abstract

The present study was conducted to investigate the effects of dietary supplementation with bamboo charcoal (BC) and bamboo leaf (BL) on growth performance, feed intake, feed conversion efficiency, and meat quality in broiler chickens. Broiler chickens were fed for 30 days with a diet containing 0.5% bamboo charcoal or bamboo leaf. The results showed that the mortality rate during the study period was slightly lower in the BC and BL groups than the control group, while terminal weight and weight gain were significantly higher in the BC and BL groups than the control group. Dietary supplementation with BC or BL also improved feed conversion rate compared to chickens in the control group. Shear force was significantly lower in the BC and BL groups than that of the control group. The fat content of chickens fed with BC tended to decrease, while the ratio of unsaturated fat acid of chickens fed with BC or BL tended to increase, although without a statistically significant difference. Sensory evaluation revealed that overall acceptability was slightly higher in the BC and BL groups than the control group. There was no statistically significant change in the hematology and serum biochemistry parameters, compared with the control group in any group tested. The results of this experiment indicated that dietary supplementation with BC and BL may improve