Effect of dietary supplementation of Panax ginseng leaf extract on production performance and egg quality of hens at the beginning of their laying period

Merve Işıl Şen Mutlu; Arda Yildirim

Merve Işıl Şen Mutlu Gaziosmanpasa University Faculty of Agriculture Department of Animal Science
Arda Yildirim Tokat Gaziosmanpasa University, Department of Animal Science https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5876-4228

Keywords: ATAK-S, Egg production, Egg quality, Laying hen, Panax ginseng

Abstract

A study was conducted to determine the effect of ginseng (Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer) leaf on egg production and egg quality characteristics of hens at the beginning of their laying period. Eighty commercial Atak-S brown layers at the age of 20 weeks were randomly allocated to one of four treatments with four replicates of five hens per treatment in a completely randomized design. The birds were fed standard layer diets control (0 mg/kg), 50 mg/kg, 100 mg/kg or 150 mg/kg Panax ginseng leaf extract (PGLE) for 12 weeks period. Laying performance was assessed by recording egg production, egg weight daily; feed intake and feed efficiency weekly and egg quality biweekly. Statistical analysis of the research results proved influence of PGLE supplementation on the weight of eggs (P <0.05), but they did not have any influence on body weight, feed intake and feed efficiency (P >0.05). Overall, there were no differences among groups in external egg quality parameters (P >0.05), while significant increases were observed in albumen and yolk index of internal egg quality. The trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC), ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) and total phenolics concentration of PGLE were 606.3±0.948 mmol trolox/kg, 15.99±0.232 mmol TEAC/kg and 1.11±0.02 g gallic acid equivalents (GAE)/kg, respectively. As a result of research, it could be considered that up to 150 mg PGLE/kg in a laying hen’s diet did not change the egg production performance of layers and there is only a positive effect on egg weight and eggshell redness increase which could contribute to profitability.

Author Biography

Arda Yildirim, Tokat Gaziosmanpasa University, Department of Animal Science

He presently working as an Assoc.Prof. Dr. in the Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Gaziosmanpaşa University, Tokat, Turkey. In 1995, he acquired his B.Sc. degree in Animal Science and worked as a research assistant in the Institute of Nature and Applied Sciences, Ondokuz Mayıs University between 1996-1998. In 1998, he successfully completed M.Sc. thesis (Possibilities of using cottonseed meal in place of soybean Meal in quail ration) and in 2002, also graduated Ph.D. thesis (Effects of probiotics, prebiotics and organic acids supplementation to the broiler diets on performance and small intestinal and its microbiological characteristics) in the Institute of Nature and Applied Sciences, Ondokuz Mayıs University. In 2003, he has been appointed as Assistant Professor, Animal Husbandry and Health program, Şarkışla Aşık Veysel Vocational College, Cumhuriyet University. He has attended 35 International/National conferences in Turkey and abroad. He has reviewed over 120 peer-reviewed articles and he is currently serving on the editorial boards of several academic journals. His research focused on Feeds and Animal Nutrition. He has over seventy research publications in reputable local and international journals. He is actually a member of Animal Nutrition Science Association, Ankara University Faculty of Veterinary Medicine Animal Nutrition and Nutritional Diseases.