Supplementation Value of Cinnamomum ceylon Powder on Growth Performance, Serum Metabolites, Antioxidant Activities and Meat Analysis of Broiler Chickens

This study examined the effect of Cinnamomum ceylon powder (CCP) supplementation on growth performance, serum metabolites, antioxidant activities and meat analysis of broiler chickens. A total of 128 day old broiler chicks were randomly allocated into 4 treatments with 4 replicates of 8 birds each as follows: Diet 1 (control) Diet 2 (diet supplemented with 0.2% Cinnamomum ceylon powder), Diet 3 (diet supplemented with 0.4% Cinnamomum ceylon powder) Diet 4 (diet supplemented with 0.6% Cinnamomum ceylon powder) using a Completely Randomized Design. The dietary CCP supplementation significantly (P<0.05) increased the final live-weight, bodyweight, feedintake of the broiler chickens compared to those fed the control diet during the feeding trial. The CCP supplementation significantly (P<0.05) reduced the glucose and cholesterol levels of broiler chickens fed 0.4 and 0.6% CCP supplementation compared to those fed the control diet. No significant difference were observed in the measured aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), triglyceride and creatinine. The broiler chicken fed diets supplemented with CCP had higher (P<0.05), total serum glutathione peroxidase and catalase compared to those fed the control diet. The concentration of muscle cholesterol and lipid peroxidation reduced significantly (P<0.05) in the birds fed CCP supplemented diets compared to those fed the control diet. In conclusion, this study has shown that CCP can be used up to 0.6% as an alternative antibiotic growth promoter supplement in the broiler diet to improve performance, antioxidant capacity to scavenge free radicals and other reactive species besides lower meat cholesterol level and lipid peroxidation.