Serum and breast meat antioxidative status of broiler chickens fed diets supplemented with moringa leaf meal (MLM), garlic rhizome meal (GRM) and their composite were assessed. Ninety-six-day old Cobb 500 broiler chickens were randomly allotted to four treatment diets: Diet 1 (control), Diet 2 (2.5 g/kg MLM), Diet 3 (2.5 g/kg GRM) and Diet 4 (1.25 g/kg MLM + 1.25 g/kg GRM). Serum superoxide dismutase concentrations were not significantly (P > 0.05) influenced by the diets, whereas there were increased serum catalase concentrations across all the treatment diets with birds on Diet 4 showing significantly (P < 0.05) higher means than those on the control. For the serum glutathione peroxidase, significant (P < 0.05) increases were observed among the broilers on Diets 2 to 4 with those on Diet 2 showing the highest significant difference (P < 0.05) with birds on the control diet. The meat catalase and cholesterol concentrations of the breast meat were not significantly (P > 0.05) influenced by the phytoadditives. However, significant (P < 0.05) decrease in lipid peroxidation was observed across the treatment diets when compared with the control, while the phytoadditives enhanced the breast meat glutathione peroxidase among the broilers on the Diets 2 and 4.
Keywords: Broilers; Garlic; Meat; Moringa; Peroxidation; Serum.