Effect of red and yellow ginger on growth performance and total antioxidant capacity of broiler chicken

Abstract

The objective of this study was to compare the effect of the red and yellow ginger on performance, nutrient digestibility and total antioxidant capacity of broiler chickens. In a 2×2×2+1 factorial design, a total of two hundred and sixteen, three weeks old broiler chicken with initial weight of 430 g (± 0.1g SE) were assigned to nine dietary treatments (TRT) and each treatment consisted of 3 replicates of 8 birds per replicate each. The factors were two ginger types, processed by two methods of sun-drying (SD) and ovendrying (OD) at two inclusion levels of 1.6% and 1.8% and a non-supplemented control diet. Treatment I was the control and contained no ginger, while TRT II, III, IV and V contained red ginger at 1.6% (OD), 1.8% (OD), 1.6% (SD) and 1.8 (SD) respectively. Treatments VI to IX contained yellow ginger at 1.6% (OD), 1.8% (OD), 1.6% (SD) and 1.8 (SD) respectively. The performance of broilers was significantly affected by ginger type with birds on red ginger having higher (p < 0.05) final body weight than birds on yellow ginger (2019 vs. 1915 g/bird). The apparent digestibility of the diets for most proximate constituents was significantly higher for red than yellow ginger. The total antioxidant capacity determined cupric reducing antioxidant capacity was significantly higher for red than yellow ginger, while that determined by total radical-trapping antioxidant parameter was higher (p < 0.05) for yellow than red ginger. The ferric reducing antioxidant power was higher (p > 0.05) for red than yellow ginger. It was concluded that oven dried red ginger at an inclusion level of 1.6% enhanced the growth performance of broiler chickens compared to the control and other ginger treatments and red ginger had higher total antioxidant capacity than yellow ginger in broiler feeding.

Keywords: feed additives, phytobiotics, ginger varieties, anti-oxidant capacity, broilers