Diet of Broilers with Essential Oil from Citrus sinensis and Xylopia aromatica Fruits

Marcela Christofoli; Weslane Justina da Silva; Nathan Ferreira da Silva; Nadielli Pereira Bonifácio; Christiane Silva Souza; Fabiano Guimarães Silva; Paulo Sérgio Pereira; Cibele Silva Minafra

doi:10.3390/ani13213326

Diet of Broilers with Essential Oil from Citrus sinensis and Xylopia aromatica Fruits

Animals (Basel). 2023 Oct 26;13(21):3326. doi: 10.3390/ani13213326.

Authors

Marcela Christofoli¹, Weslane Justina da Silva², Nathan Ferreira da Silva¹, Nadielli Pereira Bonifácio¹, Christiane Silva Souza³, Fabiano Guimarães Silva¹, Paulo Sérgio Pereira¹, Cibele Silva Minafra¹

Affiliations

¹ Goiano Federal Institute of Education, Science and Technology (Federal Institute Goiano-IF Goiano), Rio Verde 75901-970, GO, Brazil.
² Goias Federal University, Goiânia 74690-631, GO, Brazil.
³ Institute of Animal Science, Federal Rural University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro 23897-000, RJ, Brazil.

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of essential oils from the fruits of Citrus sinensis and Xylopia aromatica, included in broiler feed, on blood parameters, the biometrics of digestive organs, bone analyses, and the biochemical profiles of the viscera, as well as the histomorphometry of the small intestine. In this study, 180 one-day-old male chicks of the Cobb 500 strain were fed a corn and soybean meal over three treatments and six replications, and the experimental design was completely randomized. The data were subjected to an analysis of variance and a Tukey test at a 5% significance level. The effect of the experimental diets on performance, blood parameters, biometrics of the digestive organs, bone analysis, and biochemical profiles of the viscera, as well as the histomorphometry of the small intestine, were evaluated. The compounds identified in the essential oil of X. aromatica were sylvestrene, α-pinene, and β-pinene, while in C. sinensis they were limonene and myrcene. The essential oils of C. sinensis and X. aromatica had no significant effect on performance at 14 days. The effects of the presence of the essential oils of C. sinensis and X. aromatica on the response were beneficial: there were reductions in liver lipids, cholesterol, and triglycerides, and in the depths of the crypts in the jejunum of chickens. So, the essential oils from the fruits of C. sinensis and X. aromatica can be used in broiler chickens to improve the lipid profiles of birds without affecting their performance.

Keywords: limonene; orange essential oil; phytogenic additives; poultry.

Grants and funding

The authors are grateful to Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de Goiás (FAPEG), offering a scholarship to support studies and Universidade Federal de Goiás (UFG), Instituto Federal de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia Goiano (IF Goiano) for support research regarding the use of facilities and laboratories.