Effects of broccoli stem and leaf meal on broiler performance, skin pigmentation, antioxidant function, and meat quality.

Three hundred sixty 1-d-old Ross 308 male broilers were used to study the effects of broccoli stem and leaf meal (BSLM) on growth performance, skin pigmentation, antioxidant function, and meat quality. The chicks were fed 4 diets containing different levels (0, 4.0, 8.0, and 12.0%) of BSLM as partial replacement for corn and soybean meal for a period of 42 d. The results showed that dietary supplementation of BSLM had no effect (P > 0.05) on growth performance. As compared with control, dietary 4%, 8%, and 12% BSLM increased (P < 0.05) b value (yellowness) both in shank and breast skin, increased (P < 0.05) the concentrations of xanthophylls in abdominal fat and breast skin, improved (P < 0.05) total antioxidant capability, lowered malondialdehyde concentration, and decreased drip loss percentage of breast muscle. Dietary 8% and 12% BSLM decreased (P < 0.05) shank L values (lightness), increased (P < 0.05) shank a value (redness), and increased (P < 0.05) the activities of superoxide dismutase and catalase of breast muscle as compared with control. The results indicated that dietary supplementation of BSLM in broiler chickens improved the poultry products quality with the more skin pigmentation and the less drip loss percentage of breast meat. The more skin pigmentation mainly related to the high amount of xanthophylls in BSLM. The decreased meat drip loss fed BSLM may be caused by the antioxidative function of BSLM.