Efficacy of Dietary Supplementation of Turmeric Extract Containing Curcumin in Broiler Chicks

This experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of dietary supplementation of turmeric extract containing curcumin on growth performance, biological safety, blood total antioxidant activity, cecal microflora, and chicken meat storage stability in broiler chicks. A total of one hundred ninety two 1-d-old male broiler chicks (Ross 308) were divided into 4 groups with 4 replicates of 12 birds each. The four dietary treatments fed for 5 weeks were : NC (no antibiotics), PC (avilamycin 10 ppm and salinomycin 60 ppm), and turmeric extract treated groups (20 ppm or 200 ppm). The final body weight and body weight gain were significantly increased in PC and turmeric extract treated groups compared to NC (p<0.05), and were linearly increased by increasing the level of turmeric extract (p<0.05). The feed conversion ratio in all treated group was significantly improved as compared to that of NC (p<0.05). The relative weight of abdominal fat in the groups treated turmeric extract was significantly decreased as compared to that of control, but the relative weights of other organs (liver, spleen, pancreas, kidney, and bursa of Fabricius) were not significantly different among the groups. The levels of blood urea nitrogen (BUN), creatinine, total protein, albumin, globlulin, aspatate aminotransferase (AST), and alanine aminotransferase (ALT), which used as the blood biochemical parameters of liver and kidney damages were significantly decreased or tended to be decreased in turmeric extract treated groups than those of NC (p<0.05). The total antioxidant activity in blood serum was significantly higher in turmeric extract treated groups than control (p<0.05). The numbers of cecal coliform bacteria and Salmonella spp. in all treated groups was significantly decreased or tended to be decreased as compared to those of NC (p<0.05). And thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) values of chicken breast meat during storage period were linearly decreased by increasing the level of supplemental turmeric extract (p<0.05). In conclusion, the dietary supplementation of turmeric extract improved the growth performance and health states by controling of reactive oxygen species toxicity. Furthermore, the turmeric extract containing curcumin decreased the chicken breast meat deterioration in relation to storage period. These results suggest the possibility that the turmeric extract could be used as natural alternatives for antibiotic growth promoters and a functional feed additive in broiler chicks.