Dose titration of plantain herb (Plantago lanceolata L.) supplementation on growth performance, serum antioxidants status, liver enzymatic activity and meat quality in broiler chickens

Abstract

This study was aimed to find out the suitable dose of fresh plantain (Plantago lanceolata L.) supplementation for optimum growth, serum antioxidants status, liver health, and meat quality in broilers. A total of 1152-days-old Cobb-500 broilers (average weight: 45 +/- 0.7 g) were randomly assigned into four dietary treatments, including (i) control (CON): corn-soya based basal diet, and plantain (PL) supplemented groups (ii) PL40: CON + 40 g fresh PL/kg diet; (iii) PL80: CON + 80 g fresh PL/kg diet; and (iv) PL120: CON + 120 g fresh PL/kg diet. Improved growth efficiency (p < .05) was observed in PL supplemented groups compared to CON, where PL80 and PL120 groups had the highest value. Serum superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase concentrations were comparable in the PL80 and PL120 groups, but higher (p < .05) than other groups. The lowest concentrations of aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase were found in the PL80 group, while alkaline phosphatase was the highest in the PL40 group. Furthermore, the PL80 group exhibited the lowest (p = .001) abdominal fat content and the highest (p = .002) breast meat yield. Meat linoleic acid content was nevertheless improved linearly with PL supplement levels, and the highest value was found in the PL120 group. Furthermore, the maximum meat redness (a*) was observed in PL80 and PL120 groups, which was approximately twice that of the CON. Overall, the growth and health responses of both PL80 and PL120 groups were similar, while the latter had improved the meat fatty acid profile.