Effect of dietary inclusion of ginger meal (Zingiber officinale Roscoe) on performance, serum cholesterol profile and carcass quality of broilers

Abstract

Recent concerns over the use of antibiotics in livestock feed production has generated interest in the use of phytobiotics to improve performance and meat quality of broilers. In this study the effect of dietary inclusion of ginger meal (Zingiber officinale Roscoe) on performance, haematology, serum lipid profile and carcass quality of broilers were evaluated. One hundred and eighty day old broiler chicks (Cobb strain) were randomly allocated to 4 treatment group with 3 replicates each. Each group was fed an experimental diets containing air dried ginger rhizome meal at either 0%, 0.2%, 0.4% and 0.6% levels, at starter (0-4 weeks) and finisher (5-8 weeks) stages, in a completely randomized design. 5 birds per treatment were sacrificed and used to evaluate the haematology, performance, carcass characteristics, serum lipid profile and post mortem microbial load on the meat. Results showed no significant (P>0.05) effects of dietary ginger meal inclusion on performance parameters but improved carcass yield and quality. 0.4% inclusion of ginger meal significantly (P<0.05) increased the HDL cholesterol level (56.72 mg/dL) relative to those fed 0.2% (25.38 mg/dL) while the total lipid, cholesterol, triglycerides and LDL levels were not significantly affected (P>0.05). Birds fed diets containing 0.2% ginger meal had haemoglobin content (11.96 g/dl) and PCV (36.68%) values superior to the control (10.16 g/dl and 32.22% respectively) Post mortem microbial load were unaffected by dietary inclusion of ginger up to 0.6% in their diets. Meat tenderness was significantly higher (P<0.05) at 0.4% and 0.6% ginger meal levels (8.20) compared to the control (7.40). it is therefore concluded that 0.4 to 0.6 % dietary inclusion of ginger meal in broiler diets will have positive effects on serum lipoprotein level, carcass yield and organoleptic quality of meat.