ABSTRACT
This work aimed to investigate the antioxidant capacity of the guava agroindustrial waste as a functional additive in broiler feed to improve the performance and meat quality of boilers. The experiment was conducted in a completely randomized design, consisting of four treatments and six replicates with 12 birds. Treatments included different levels of guava byproduct in the feed: 0, 0.5, 1.0, and 1.5%. We evaluated the performance of broilers at 7 and 21 days old. At 21 days old, two birds from each experimental unit were euthanized for intestine histologic evaluation (duodenum, jejunum, and ileum) and breast and deboned thigh samples were collected for analyzes of pH, colorimetry (L*, a*, and b*), and thiobarbituric reactive substances (TBARS). The use of guava byproduct in the diet at 7 days old did not affect feed intake and feed conversion of the birds. However, the body weight and weight gain increased linearly with the inclusion of the byproduct. At 21 days old, the guava byproduct did not depress the performance of birds. There was no effect of treatments on villus height, crypt depth, and villus:crypt ratio of the duodenum and jejunum of the birds. The inclusion of guava byproduct resulted in lower crypt depth and linear increase in villus:crypt ratio of the ileum. There was no significant difference in pH and colorimetry of the breast and thigh. With increasing inclusion of byproduct, TBARS value was reduced to 0.72%, indicating greater lipid stability in thigh meat in this inclusion amount. Guava byproduct can be used as an alternative antioxidant additive in broiler feed because it does not depress the productive performance and improves thigh meat quality of boilers.
Key Words:
animal-performance indexes; antioxidant; intestinal histology; meat characteristics; Psidium guajava L
