Abstract. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of herbal feed additive on
growth performance, carcass characteristics, the chemical composition of
breast muscles and selected meat quality parameters in broiler chickens. The
experiment was performed on 1080 Ross 308 chickens, which were randomly
divided into six groups with six replicates per group. In experimental groups,
dietary energy concentration was reduced by 0.10 or 0.25 MJ kg−1, and
the diets were or were not supplemented with the Superliv herbal formula at
500 g t−1 of diet. A statistical analysis revealed that Superliv had a
beneficial influence on the final body weights (BWs) of birds, average daily
gain (ADG), feed conversion ratio (FCR), European Efficiency Index (EEI) and
the proportion of heart relative to total carcass weight. However, meat
acidity measured 15 min post mortem was higher in experimental groups. A
decrease in dietary energy concentration contributed to a highly significant
increase in the water-holding capacity (WHC) of meat and natural drip loss,
an increase in pH15, an increase in color lightness, a
decrease in redness, an increase in the fat content of meat, and a decrease
in malondialdehyde (MDA) concentration.
Effect of Amino Acids on Growth Performance, Carcass Characteristics, Meat Quality, and Carnosine Concentration in Broiler Chickens
