Evaluation of turmeric (Curcuma longa) as a potential natural antioxidant for poultry

Abstract

Turmeric (Curcuma longa) has attracted attention due to its potent antioxidant activities standing out among other spices. Turmeric powder is bright yellow and aromatic derived from the rhizome of the plant. It is widely used due to their positive effects on the growth and health of poultry, probably as a result of their immune-stimulatory properties. In this study the DPPH (2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) assay was used to determine the antioxidant activity of turmeric using ascorbic acid as a standard antioxidant and 2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) as a free radical. It was observed from the results obtained that the DPPH free radical scavenging ability of turmeric was in the range of 27.23% to 60.23%. The antioxidant activity of ascorbic acid (the standard antioxidant) used in the experiment was 98.65%. It was revealed from the results that the inhibition activity of turmeric against the free radical increased with an increase in the level of the concentration of its extract from 0.2mg/ml to 1.0mg/ml. The implication of this showed that the effect of turmeric extract was dose-dependent. The values obtained for IC50 for the turmeric and vitamin C (ascorbic acid) were 0.717 and 0.320 respectively. Turmeric has the potential to serve as a natural substitute for synthetic antioxidant additives in poultry production.