Dietary addition of a standardized extract of turmeric (TurmaFEEDTM) improves growth performance and carcass quality of broilers

Abstract Background Indiscriminate use of antibiotics in livestock and poultry farming has caused emergence of new pathogenic strains. The situation has warrented the development of safe and alternative growth promoters and immunity enhancers in livestock. Herbal additives in animal and bird feed is a centuries-old practice. Thus, the present study investigated the efficacy of a standardized formulation of lipophilic turmeric extract containing curcumin and turmerones, (TF-36), as a natural growth promoter poultry feed additive. Methods The study was designed on 180 one-day old chicks, assigned into three groups. Control group (T0) kept on basal diet and supplemented groups T0.5 and T1 fed with 0.5% and 1% TF-36 fortified basal diet for 42 days. Each dietary group consisted of six replicates of ten birds. Body weight, food intake, food conversion ratio, skin colour, blood biochemical analysis and antioxidant status of serum were investigated. Results Body weight improved significantly in T1 with a 10% decrease in FCR as compared to the control. TF-36 supplementation in T1 enhanced the antioxidant enzyme activity significantly (p < 0.05) with a decrease (p < 0.05) in lipid peroxidation. It also caused a slight yellow skin pigmentation without any change in meat color, indicating the bioavailability of curcumin from TF-36. However, no significant change in the concentration of serum creatinine, total protein and liver enzyme activities were observed, indicating the safety. Conclusion In summary, we concluded that TF-36 can be a natural feed additive to improve growth performance in poultry, probably due to the better antioxidant activity and antimicrobial effects contributed by the better bioavailability of curcuminoids and turmerones. Besides, curcuminoids and turmerones were also known to be gastroprotective and anti-inflammatory agents

Beyond the flavor: A green formulation of Ferula asafoetida oleo-gum-resin with fenugreek dietary fibre and its gut health potential

Albeit the fact that asafotida is a popular kitchen spice and Indian folklore medicine for gut disorders, its consumption at physiologically relevant dosage is greatly challenged by the unpleasant flavor characteristics. Herein we report a green approach to derive stable powder formulations of asafoetida gum with minimized taste and odor suitable for dietary applications and gut health-related disorders. Employing a water based ultrasound mediated gel-phase dispersion of asafoetida gum on fenugreek derived soluble galactomannan fibre matrix. Microencapsulated particles (1 ± 0.3 μm) of asafoetida was prepared as water dispersible free flowing powder (Asafin). Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), accelerated stability and in vitro dissolution studies confirmed the stability, sustained release and microencapsulated structure of Asafin. Further investigations revealed significant (p < 0.01) reduction in acetic acid-induced writings and inhibition of ethanol-induced ulcer (94.1%) in rats orally administered with Asafin at 250 mg kgâ1 b.w. Asafin also exhibited anti-inflammatory effects (p < 0.01), in acute and chronic paw edema mice models. The safety of Asafin was further demonstrated by acute toxicity studies at 4 g kgâ1  b.w. and by 28 days of sub-acute toxicity studies at 2.0 g kgâ1 b.w. Keywords: Ferula asafoetida, Green formulation, Oral delivery, Gastroprotective, Ethanol-induced ulcer, Gut healt