|
Evaluation of Guazuma ulmifolia Leaf Extract in Drinking Water: Impacts on Carcass Yield and Meat Quality of Broiler Chickens Faculty of Animal Science, Universitas Brawijaya Abstract Herbal supplements are increasingly studied as natural alternatives to synthetic growth promoters in poultry production, with potential benefits for carcass yield and meat quality. Guazuma ulmifolia (GULE) has been proposed as a functional supplement, yet its impact on broiler carcass composition and meat quality remains insufficiently documented. This study evaluated the effects of GULE supplementation in drinking water on carcass traits and meat quality of broiler chickens. A total of 300 day-old MB Lohmann broilers were randomly allocated to five treatments: P0 (control), P1 (0.25% GULE), P2 (0.5% GULE), P3 (0.75% GULE), and P4 (1.0% GULE). Chickens were reared for 35 days under standardized feeding, housing, lighting, temperature, and vaccination conditions. Carcass yield, leg proportion, and back proportion were determined, and meat quality traits were assessed through dry matter, pH, tenderness, color values (L, b, and a), and water holding capacity (WHC). The results demonstrated that carcass yield and leg proportion were unaffected by treatments (p > 0.05), whereas back percentage was significantly reduced in P3 compared with P0 and P4 (p = 0.02). Meat quality was largely unchanged, with stable dry matter, pH, tenderness, L and a, and WHC values- however, yellowness (b) was significantly influenced (p = 0.02), with P1 recording the lowest values. Collectively, these findings indicate that supplementation with up to 0.75% GULE supports favorable carcass distribution and maintains meat quality, while excessive supplementation (1.0%) may induce unfavorable carcass partitioning without improving quality. Keywords: broiler chickens, Guazuma ulmifolia, carcass traits, meat quality, herbal supplement Topic: Animal production |
| ICESAI 2025 Conference | Conference Management System |