Abstract

The present study investigated the effect of dietary supplementation of turmeric with fresh oil or oxidized oil on the growth performance, blood biochemical, intestinal and liver histopathology in Japanese Quail. Birds were divided into 8 groups; G1- G4 which were fed on diets containing 2 % fresh vegetable oil supplemented with turmeric 0.0, 0.25, 0.5 and 0.75 % respectively. While groups G5- G8 had the same previously mentioned design but with replacing the fresh oil with oxidized oil. Substitution of the fresh oil with oxidized oil showed non-significant difference in quail body weight and feed conversion ratio, increased feed intake (FI), non-significantly affected serum lipid profile parameters (P˃ 0.05). Turmeric supplementation at 0.75 % to the fresh or oxidized oil containing diets improved feed efficiency utilization, while reduced the FI compared to control (P< 0.05). Feeding quail on oxidized oil containing diet showed no changes in serum MDA concentration, however reduced serum GPx enzyme (P˃ 0.05) compared to birds fed on fresh oil. Turmeric addition reduced serum concentration of MDA, while increased GPx activity (P˃ 0.05). Increasing turmeric level supplemented to the fresh or oxidized oil was associated with reduced serum lipid profile parameters. Addition of turmeric to the oxidized oil-based diets ameliorated the negative effects on the immune related parameters (phagocytic activity and index, lysosomal activity and WBCs count) especially with 0.5% level. Increasing the turmeric supplementation to the oxidized oil containing diet improved the intestinal morphology and hepatic parenchyma. In conclusion, oxidized oil inclusion in Japanese quail diet (2 %) showed no adverse effects on their performance or intestinal morphology however, negatively affected some immune related parameters which could be ameliorated by turmeric supplementation especially at 0.5% of diet.

Key words: Oxidized oil, turmeric, Japanese quail, growth