Lemongrass Leaf Meal as a Natural Additive in Broiler Diets: Effect on Performance, Carcass Traits and Oxidative Stability of Meat from Broiler Chickens

Abstract

A 42-day feeding trial was conducted to evaluate lemongrass leaf meal (LLM) as a natural additive in broiler diets. Two hundred one-day-old Ross 308 broiler chicks were randomly assigned to four dietary treatments containing 0, 2, 4 and 6 g LLM/kg feed in a completely randomised design with five replicates of 10 birds each. Growth performance, haematological and serum biochemical indices, oxidative markers, carcass traits, proximate composition, cooking loss, sensory attributes, DPPH activity and total volatile basic nitrogen (TVB-N) of breast muscle during storage were assessed. LLM inclusion did not significantly affect most growth variables beyond increased final weight and weight gain during the pre-starter phase. Carcass traits and major primal cuts were generally not significantly different, although head and back percentages varied. Breast meat from LLM-fed birds had higher protein and ash contents and lower moisture and fat contents than meat from the control group. Cooking loss, thermal shortening and most sensory scores were not significantly affected, except colour, which declined at the highest inclusion level. DPPH radical-scavenging activity increased with LLM inclusion and decreased with storage time. TVB-N increased during storage, but the 6 g/kg treatment had the lowest overall TVB-N estimate. These findings indicate that LLM can be included in broiler diets without compromising carcass yield or sensory acceptability, while improving selected meat composition and storage stability indicators.