Effects of Jujube Powder on Growth Performance, Blood Biochemical Indices, and Intestinal Microbiota of Broiler

• Published in: Animals (Basel) 2023-11, Vol.13 (21), p.3398
• Main Authors: Liang, Jing, Nie, Zejian, Zhao, Yapeng, Qin, Shizhen, Nian, Fang, Tang, Defu
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Analysis; Antioxidants; broiler; Cancer; Costs (Law); Diet; Experiments; Feeds; Growth; growth performance; Immunoglobulin A; Immunoglobulin G; intestinal microbiota; jujube powder; Meat quality; Metabolism; Microbiota; Microbiota (Symbiotic organisms); physical and chemical indices of blood; Poultry; Proteins; Retention
• ISSN: 2076-2615; 2076-2615
• DOI: 10.3390/ani13213398

In total, 576 Cobb broilers were randomized into 6 treatment groups, with 8 replicates in each treatment group and 12 broilers in each replicate. Each treatment group was fed six different experimental diets containing 0%, 2%, 4%, 6%, 8%, and 10% jujube powder. The group receiving 0% jujube powder was considered the blank control group. The experimental period was 42 days and was divided into two periods: starter (0–21 days) and finisher (22–42 days). Compared with the control group, the addition of 8% jujube powder significantly improved the ADG of broilers (p < 0.05), and 8% and 10% jujube powder significantly improved the total tract apparent digestibility of organic matter in broilers (p < 0.05). Adding 10% jujube powder significantly improved the apparent metabolic energy of broilers (p < 0.05). Compared with the control group, 4–10% jujube powder significantly increased IgA, IgG, IgM, and sCD4 levels (p < 0.05) and T-AOC and SOD contents, and it reduced the MDA content in the serum of broilers (p < 0.05). In addition, the relative abundance of Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, Lactobacillus, and Romboutsia significantly increased in the broiler ileum, whereas that of Proteobacteria and Enterobacter decreased significantly (p < 0.05) when 8% jujube powder was added to the diet. The relative abundance of Proteobacteria, Bacteroides, and Faecalibacterium in the cecum increased significantly (p < 0.05), whereas that of Bacteroidetes decreased significantly (p < 0.05).