Effects of Vitamin C, Echium Amoenum and Lavender Extract on Blood Metabolite and Meat Quality of Broiler Chickens Under Transport Stress

Abstract

A study was conducted with broiler chickens to determine the effect of some additives in drinking water on transport stress. Two hundred forty Ross 308 broilers aged 35 d were randomly assigned to 8 treatments with factorial arrangement (2×2×2) with 3 types of additives (vitamin C, echium amoenum and lavender extract) and tow levels (0 and 1200 ppm per liter of drinking water). Each treatment consisted of 4 replicates with 8 birds in each. On d 43, after collecting blood from the brides (2 birds from each replicate), all birds were transported (2 h under 8˚c temperature), then blood recollected. After slaughtering breast and thigh meat pH and water loss detected. Results showed that transport stress decreased blood glucose (mg/dl) and LDL (mg/dl), heterophile, H: L ratio but increased HDL, lymphocytes, eosinophile and heamatocrite of transported chickens (P<0.05). Additives didn’t have significant effect on glucose, Cholesterol, triglyceride, HDL and LDL (P>0.05). Combination of 3 dietary supplements significantly decreased Heterophiles and H: L ratio of transported Birds (P<0.05). Echium amoenum and lavender extract were significantly lowered the breast meat pH. Broiler chickens which get lavender extract and Vitamin C have the highest L* and the lowest a* and lowest b* values belonged to vitamin C treatment birds (P<0.05). Drip losses of breast meat appeared to be significantly (P<0.05) lower in the combination of three dietary treatment received birds. (P<0.05). It is concluded that transport induced the reduction of blood glucose and LDL, heterophil, H: L ratio which are indexes of the stress in broiler chickens and combination of 3 supplements alleviate the adverse effects of transport stress.