Two experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects of dietary oxidized poultry offal fat on the performance of broilers and on the oxidative stability of dark chicken meat. One hundred and sixty male chicks were fed a corn-soybean meal diet containing 4% fresh or oxidized poultry fat from 10 to 47 days of age. Fresh fat was stored frozen until diets were produced, and oxidized fat was obtained by electrical heating (110 to 120 ºC). Birds were slaughtered at 47 days of age, and carcass characteristics were measured. Skinless and deboned thigh meat was stored chilled during 12 days, and samples were periodically collected to assess their quality and oxidative stability. Dietary oxidized fat did not affect bird performance or carcass characteristics. During chilled storage, meat color (L*, a* and b*) was not affected by dietary treatments; however, TBARS (Thiobarbituric Acid Reactive Substances) values were higher (P<0.05) in thigh meat from chickens fed the oxidized fat, indicating that oxidative stability was adversely affected.

There are some evidences described in the literature showing reduced energy metabolizability of ingredients for newly hatched chicks. Hence, a metabolism trial was carried out with the objective of determining the metabolizable energy of corn grain, soybean meal and micronized full fat soybean for newly hatched chicks. The method of total excreta collection was used in an experiment with 192 male chicks from one to seven days, distributed in a completely randomized design with four treatments and four replicates of twelve birds. Excreta were collected from four to seven days of age. The treatments included a reference diet, two test-diets consisting of 60% of the reference diet and 40% of the test ingredients: corn grain (CG) and soybean meal (SM), and one test-diet consisting of 80% of the reference diet and 20% of micronized full fat soybean (MFFS). The N-corrected apparent metabolizable energy (AMEn) and the metabolizability coefficient of gross energy (MCGE) of the ingredients determined for the chicks were respectively 3,213 kcal/kg and 81.6% for CG; 2,085 kcal/kg and 49.7% for SM and 4,068 kcal/kg and 74.8% for MFFS.

This study was conducted to determine the effect of microbial or antimicrobial additives on the performance and organ morphology of broilers raised in batteries or in floor pens. The effect of microbial additives on the presence of oocysts in the litter was also studied. Experiments 1 and 2 consisted of four treatments (non-supplemented control diet or diet supplemented with avilamycin, bacitracin methylene disalicylate or enramycin) and six repetitions in a randomized block design. In Experiment 1, 288 day-old chicks were housed in heated batteries in a environmentally controlled room, 12 chicks per cage; in Experiment 2, 1,200 day-old chicks were housed in a curtain-sided experimental house, with concrete floor and rice hulls as litter material, 50 chicks per pen. Experiments 3 and 4 were carried out similarly to Experiments 1 and 2, respectively, but the treatments consisted of microbial additives (non-supplemented control diet or Bacillus subtilis added to the feed plus Lactobacillus reuteri and Lactobacillus johnsonii added to the water, undefined microflora added to the water or live yeast added to the feed). The antibiotics did not affect the performance of birds raised in batteries, but improved feed conversion, weight gain and live weight when chickens were kept on the floor pens. Microbial additives did not affect bird performance in any environment; however, treatments affected liver weight. Microbial agents increased intestinal weight in floor-raised broilers. No relationship was seen between the use of microbial additives and the presence of oocysts in the litter.

Este estudo foi desenvolvido com a finalidade monitorar a qualidade da farinha de carne e ossos (FCO), durante o armazenamento prolongado (10 semanas), e avaliar os efeitos da adição do BHT (500mg/kg) a esta farinha. Um lote fresco de FCO (41,12% PB e 9,14% EE) foi dividido em seis partes iguais, sendo uma não tratada (CONTROLE) e as demais tratadas com BHT em diferentes tempos de armazenamento (nos dias 0, 7, 14, 21 e 28: BHT/0, BHT/7, BHT/14, BHT/21 e BHT/28, respectivamente). As FCO foram armazenadas em ambiente diariamente monitorado e sua qualidade foi avaliada por amostragens semanais, com determinação do índice de peróxidos, cujo nível máximo obtido foi de aproximadamente 80meq/kg (CONTROLE). A partir da 4ª semana de armazenamento, foi conduzido um experimento com frangos de corte alimentados por 42 dias com rações à base de milho e farelo de soja, contendo cerca de 4% das FCO armazenadas. Foram utilizados 1.440 pintos de um dia, machos, distribuídos num delineamento em blocos casualizados, com 6 tratamentos e 6 repetições. Os resultados médios obtidos para peso vivo, ganho de peso, consumo de ração, conversão alimentar, mortalidade e refugagem e fator de produção foram submetidos à análise da variância e as médias dos tratamentos foram comparadas ao CONTROLE através do teste de Dunnett. As variáveis estudadas, em geral, não foram afetadas pelos tratamentos (p>0,05), indicando que, neste estudo, o uso da FCO oxidada ou das FCO protegidas pelo BHT, não influenciaram o desempenho das aves.

The objectives of this study were to assess the variation in quality of meat and bone meal (MBM) during an extended storage period (10 weeks) and evaluate the effects of the antioxidant BHT on the oxidative stability of MBM and the performance of broilers fed diets containing these MBM. A freshly produced batch of MBM (41,12% protein and 9,12% fat) was divided in six portions. One portion was stored with no BHT added (CONTROL) and the others were treated with 500mg BHT/kg at day 0 (BHT/0), 7 (BHT/7), 14 (BHT/14), 21 (BHT/21) and 28 (BHT/28). The quality of MBM was measured through weekly samplings and the peroxide value (IP) was the main parameter analysed. After four weeks of storage, a feed trial was carried out using 1,440 male RossXRoss day-old chicks raised in floor pens in an experiment with six treatments and six replicates. The birds were fed ad libitum corn-soybean diets formulated to contain 4% MBM. Results of 42d liveweight, feed intake, feed:gain ratio and mortality and culling were submitted to analysis of variance. Treatment means were compared to CONTROL using Dunnett’s test. Although rancidity was observed in MBM during storage, the levels of IP found (maximum 80meq/kg) did not affect bird performance. In general, the performance of broilers was not affected (p>.05) by feeding MBM oxidized or preserved with BHT.