Effect of Roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa), ginger (Zingiber officinale) and garlic (Allium sativum) extracts on meat quality of broiler chickens.

Abstract

An eight weeks experiment was conducted using 200-day-old broiler chicks to determine the effect of Roselle, Ginger and Garlic extracts on meat yield and meat quality of broiler chickens. The birds were assigned to five treatment groups, four replicates each and ten birds per replicate in a completely randomized design. The treatments were designed as T1, T2, T3, T4 and T5 with each treatment having four replicates, and each replicate contained 10 birds. T1 was designed as the control and birds on T1 were administered 100 % water and no plant extracts; T2, 4 g of roselle per litre of water; T3, 4 g of roselle and 4 g of ginger per litre of water; T4, 4 g of roselle and 2 g of garlic per litre of water and T5, 4 g of roselle, 4 g of ginger and 2 g of garlic per litre of water.Formulated diets were given both at the starter and finisher phases ad libitum. At the end of the experiment, Fourbroiler chickens per treatmentwere slaughtered to evaluate meat yield and meat quality characteristics. Results obtained show that carcass parameters were not significantly (p>0.05) influenced across the treatments except breast, drumstick, lungs and abdominal fat %. There were significant (p<0.05) differences in the result of pH, WHC, cooking yield and cooking loss across the treatments. The proximate composition of the meat of broiler chicken were not significantly (p>0.05) different. It was therefore concluded that inclusion of 4 g Roselleg extracts in the drinking water of broiler chickens produced better meat yield and meat quality characteristics.