Competing Role of Bioactive Constituents in Moringa oleifera Extract and Conventional Nutrition Feed on the Performance of Cobb 500 Broilers

Table 2

Growth performance, carcass characteristics, and meat quality (mean ± SE).

(a) Growth performance

Parameters	Treatment groups
	Nutritional feed only; (T1)	0.5% w/w of MOLM; (T2)	1.0% w/w of MOLM; (T3)	1.5% w/w of MOLM; (T4)
Final body weight (g) 42 d	2091 ± 45.9^b	2222 ± 25.3^a	2263 ± 30.2^a	2218 ± 47.6^a
Initial body weight (g) 42 d	707 ± 4.38^a	705 ± 6.09^a	702 ± 4.68^a	701 ± 5.81^a
Weight gain (g/day) 22–42 d	66 ± 1.986^b	72 ± 1.285^a	75 ± 1.439^a	72 ± 2.409^a
Feed intake (g/day) 22–42 d	175 ± 2.05^a	178 ± 0.85^a	174 ± 1.4^a	165 ± 1.16^b
FCR 22–42 d	2.67 ± 0.052^a	2.47 ± 0.037^b	2.32 ± 0.027^bc	2.30 ± 0.065^c
Mortality (%) 22–42 d	3 ± 2.5	8 ± 5.0	2 ± 2.5	3 ± 2.5

(b) Carcass characteristics

Parameters	Treatment groups
	Nutritional feed only; (T1)	0.5% w/w of MOLM; (T2)	1.0% w/w of MOLM; (T3)	1.5% w/w of MOLM; (T4)
Dressing percentage	65.97 ± 0.074^d	67.07 ± 0.042^c	70.15 ± 0.219^a	68.56 ± 0.114^b
Meat : bone	3.459 ± 0.016^b	3.412 ± 0.024^b	3.814 ± 0.027^a	3.712 ± 0.050^a
Meat : fat	6.31 ± 0.016^d	7.89 ± 0.030^b	8.43 ± 0.045^b	6.83 ± 0.040^c
Bone : fat	3.91 ± 1.13^b	3.65 ± 1.16^a	3.54 ± 0.51^a	3.79 ± 0.46^a

(c) Meat quality

Parameters	Treatment groups
	Nutritional feed only; (T1)	0.5% w/w of MOLM; (T2)	1.0% w/w of MOLM; (T3)	1.5% w/w of MOLM; (T4)
Cooking loss (%)	21.99 ± 0.464^a	16.62 ± 0.619^b	21.66 ± 1.441^a	20.34 ± 1.141^a
Drip loss (%)	5.72 ± 0.027^d	5.94 ± 0.028^c	8.01 ± 0.034^a	7.74 ± 0.065^b
Lightness	46.70 ± 1.193^b	46.24 ± 0.373^b	51.70 ± 0.827^a	47.25 ± 0.513^b
Redness	6.15 ± 0.583^ab	7.93 ± 0.793^a	5.45 ± 0.450^b	6.64 ± 0.497^ab
Yellowness	12.08 ± 0.604^b	13.52 ± 0.384^ab	13.15 ± 0.537^ab	14.24 ± 0.584^a
Tenderness	1.07 ± 0.1^a	1.23 ± 0.19^a	0.94 ± 0.07^a	0.89 ± 0.007^a

Table 2(a) (growth performance): the final body weight, weight gain, feed intake, feed conversion ratio, and mortality (a, b values for final body weight, weight gain, and feed intake showing different superscripts within rows are significantly different ( < 0.05) and the a, b, bc, and c within rows of the FCR are significantly different ( < 0.05)). Table 2(b) (carcass characteristics): the dressing percentage and meat : bone : fat ratio (a, b, c, and d values for dressing percentage and meat : bone : fat ratio within rows are significantly different ( < 0.05)). Table 2(c) (meat quality): the cooking loss, drip loss, color, and tenderness (a, b, c, d values with different superscripts on the same row are significantly different ( < 0.05)), of broiler chicken fed with various gradients of Moringa oleifera leaves meal (0.5%, 1.0%, and 1.5% w/w) MOLM with/without nutritional feed.