Evaluation of moringa (Moringa oleifera) leaf meal for broiler chicken performance and meat quality

The study evaluated dietary inclusion (0, 7, 14, and 21%) levels of Moringa oleifera leaf meal (MOL) on growth performance and meat quality of broiler chickens. A total of 240 broiler chicks (Chikun) were divided into four treatments with three replicates each (20 chicks per replicate) in a completely randomized design (CRD). The experiment lasted for 8 weeks. The results showed that live weight, dressed weight, dressing percentage, heart and liver weights differed (P˂0.05) significantly across the four treatment groups. All other parameters did not differ significantly among the treatment groups. Growth traits of broiler chickens fed dietary inclusion levels of MOL revealed that only feed conversion ratio and mortality rates were significantly (P ˂ 0.05) different across the treatments. Other traits such as final weight, weight gain, feed intake, average daily feed intake and average daily weight did not differ significantly among the treatment groups. Chemical compositional parameters of fresh broiler chicken meat revealed that per cent moisture, lipid, crude protein, ash and carbohydrate were significantly (P ˂ 0.05) different across the treatments. However, chemical composition of meat floss ‘‘dambun nama’’from broiler chickens fed dietary inclusion levels of MOL showed that per cent moisture, lipid, crude protein, crude fibre and carbohydrate differed significantly (P˂0.05) across the treatments. Furthermore, sensory attributes of meat floss from broiler chickens fed dietary inclusion levels of MOL showed that only juiciness differed significantly among the treatments. This study concludes that incorporation of MOL in the diet of broiler chickens at the inclusion levels of 0, 7, 14 and 21% had no deleterious effects on carcass and organ characteristics, chemical composition of both fresh meat and meat floss ‘‘dambun nama’’of broiler chickens. The processed meat floss was well-cherished by the sensory panelists and rated the product high for quality. It is suggested that other inclusion levels of MOL should be investigated in further studies using broiler chickens for growth and carcass performance re-evaluation for meat quality and its overall acceptance