USE OF FLAXSEED MEAL AND GRAPE SEED MEAL (2% AND 3%) AS NATURAL ANTIOXIDANT IN BROILER DIETS

Raluca Paula Turcu, Margareta Olteanu, Rodica Diana Criste, Dumitra Tatiana Panaite, Mariana Ropota, P.Al. Vlaicu, Cristina Soica

Abstract
    This paper presents a 3-week "in vivo" feeding experiment conducted on 90, Cobb 500 broiler chicks, aged 14 days, assigned to 3 groups: a control group (C), and two experimental groups (E1, E2). Unlike the diet formulation for group C (based on corn, wheat, soybean meal and flax meal), the diet formulations for the experimental groups also included 2% (E1) and 3% (E2) grape seeds meal as natural antioxidant. The bioproductive parameters monitored throughout the feeding trial were not significantly (P>0.05) different between the groups. Six broilers per group were slaughtered in the end of the trial and six samples of breast meat and of thigh meat were formed for each group. the total amount of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) was significantly (P≤0.05) higher in the experimental groups, both in the breast meat: 31.50±1.59g (E1) and 33.74±0.29g (E2) vs. 29.29±0.96 g/100 g total fatty acids (C), and in the thigh meat: 30.28±1.09g (E1) and 34.08±1.80 (E2) vs 29.58±1.16 g/100gtotal fatty acids (C). The highest content of alfa linolenic acid (ALA), 1.12±0.07g, was recorded in the breast meat from group E1, which was significantly (P≤0.05) different from0.89±0.34g/100 g total fatty acids, in group C.

Key words: broiler, breast meat, thigh meat, flaxseed meal, grape seed meal, ALA