Effect of Chavir (Ferulago angulate L.) powder and vitamin E on growth performance, meat quality and some blood metabolites of Japanese quails

A total of 320 day-old Japanese quails were allocated to four treatments using a completely randomized design to investigate the effects of dietary supplementation of Chavir powder(Ch.P) and vitamin Eon performance, meat quality and some blood metabolites. Treatments included in the study were: 1) basal diet (control group), 2 and 3) the basal diet supplemented with Ch.P at the levels of 1.5 and 3 %, respectively, and 4) the basal diet supplemented with vitamin E at 200 mg/kg of diet. Each treatment replicated four times with 20 birds in each replicate. Results showed that adding Ch.P to the diets significantly decreased body weight gain and feed intake (FI) at 21 d of age (P<0.05), while its effect on feed conversion ratio (FCR) was not significant. Dietary vitamin E supplementation decreased FI during the starter period and improved FCR during the starter and the entire of rearing periods (P<0.05). The amounts of malondialdehyde was lower in thigh meat of chicks fed diets supplemented with 3 percent Ch.P or vitamin E. Malondialdehyde level in breast meat of birds, after 90 days storage, decreased in response to the vitamin E supplementation (P<0.05). Birds treated with vitamin E had greater water holding capacity in thigh meat (P<0.05). Both levels of Ch.P increased the moisture content of breast meat after 90 days storage (P<0.05). There were no significant differences between the dietary treatments for pH and blood metabolites. General, Regarding quail performance this study did not show any significant side effects between the dietary treatments. However, dietary supplementation of Ch.P and/or vitamin E (200 mg/kg) affected the meat oxidative stability during long period of storage.