USE OF TURMERIC POWDER (Curcuma longa) AS GROWTH PROMOTER & IMMUNO MODULATOR IN COMMERCIAL POULTRY FEED

Nowadays, alternative feed supplements enhancing bird health are sought by poultry producers. Among different herbs and supplements, turmeric (Curcuma longa L.), which contains bioactive secondary metabolites as curcuminoids, has been successfully used as a suitable feed supplement for poultry. It induces a wide range of positive actions in birds, namely: 1. improvement of several haematological and biochemical indicators, 2. increase of antibody titers after vaccination (e.g., against Newcastle disease), 3. diminishment of heat stress by different mechanisms, 4. prevention from harmful effects of aflatoxins consumed together with diet, 5. increase of antioxidant activity of several organs (e.g., spleen), 6. decrease in some potentially pathogenic bacteria counts, i.e. Escherichia coli, in the ileal content of the farmed laying hens.

Indian poultry industry has emerged as one of the fastest growing segment of the agriculture sector of the country over the past decade. The layer sector has been the most profitable segment in poultry due to its marginal investments and easy returns. Poultry farming has undergone a paradigm shift in structure and operation, transforming itself from a mere backyard activity into a major commercial venture. Antibiotics have been used as antimicrobial growth promoters (AGP) in animal to improve food safety. However, in order to avoid the possible risk of developing resistant pathogens, as well as to meet the public pressure of antibiotic free animal products, the use of antibiotic in poultry diet was totally banned in European Community. In order to reduce the disadvantage of sub-clinical and clinical infections, the poultry feed industries needs to find alternatives to AGPs. Various alternatives of green additives have been studied in order to maximize the growth performance of poultry in the diets without antibiotics. The active substances in the turmeric oil are curcuminoids aromatic turmerones (32.5%), alpha (15.6%) and beta turmerones (17.1%) and curlone . Curcuminoids have a wide spectrum of biological activities including antioxidant, antibacterial, antifungal, antiprotozoal, antiviral, anticoccidial and anti-inflammatory property .Turmeric is one supplement that can modulate the lipid profile and cholesterol content . Curcumin was also found to affect lipid metabolism, and inhibit lipid peroxidation . Hypocholesteremic effect of turmeric is due to its coloring principle, Curcumin. Curcumin was effective in reducing both liver and serum cholesterol level .

Turmeric powder can reduce cholesterol by increasing the activity of cholesterol-7-α hydrolase or inhibit the activity of HMG Co-A reductase. Curcumin stimulated the conversion of cholesterol to bile acid, a path to eliminate the cholesterol from the body. Turmeric feeding to birds significantly increased the intestinal villi length, increase in the intestinal villi length could be attributed to the turmeric effect on gut health by reducing intestinal pH, bacterial load and selectively increasing Lactobacillus count. Antioxidants present in turmeric powder may effectively scavenge the generated free radicals caused by stress, consequently resulting in improved ileal morphology. Thinner intestinal epithelium enhances nutrient absorption and reduces the metabolic demands of the gastrointestinal system. Thinning of the gastrointestinal walls tract may be due to the inhibition of the microbial production of polyamines and volatile fatty acids, known to increase enterocyte turnover rate and activity. This increased net energy committed to maintaining the luminal tissue comes at the expense of more productive purposes such as muscle accretion. Turmeric can control and limit the growth and colonization of numerous pathogenic and non-pathogenic species of bacteria in the bird’s gut resulting in balanced gut microbial ecosystems that lead to better feed utilization reflected by improved feed conversion ratio. Turmeric powder modulates the gene expression system of TLRs showing its immune-modulating properties.

Turmeric is one of phytobiotic use as herbal medicine component production. Turmeric are very nutritious for healing the stomachache, reinforcing the digestion and appetite, stimulating intestine movements and eliminating the indigestion .Turmeric is one of the herbs which can be used as feed additives and it has good enough quality when it is added to ration for poultry . Turmeric can be used as growth promoters and immunomodulatory or antibacterial in poultry. Turmeric contains 6.3% crude protein, 5.1% crude fat, 69.4% carbohydrates, 13.1% moisture , 2.4 to 4% essential fatty acids and 4.7 to 8.2% crude ash . The curcuminoid content in turmeric is 3-5% curcumine and its derivatives, called demethoxycurcumine and bisdemethoxycurcumine and it is also containing atsiri oil (volatile oil) approximately 2.5 to 6%. Curcumine can improve the performance of the digestive tract, the immune system of poultry, thus it can produce the good quality carcass. In addition to prevent diseases, turmeric can also provide color on the carcass and egg yolk .Atsiri oil can help the digestion by stimulating the nervous system secretion, produced digestive enzymes that contain pepsin, trypsin, lipase, amylase and secreted into stomach and intestines which increas nutrients metabolism. Furthermore, turmeric contains many flavonoid compounds acting as phytoestrogen which have estrogen-like activity, enhancing vitellogenin (an egg yolk protein precursor) synthesis during the egg laying period via it’srespond to estrogen.

Effect on Egg Qualities——–

Egg mass—

Addition of turmeric powder at 5 or 10 g/kg feed shows significant increase in egg mass.

Egg weight—-

Egg weight increased significantly after feeding turmeric at 0.50 or 1%

External and internal egg qualities———

Addition of 0.50-1% turmeric to hen’s diet numerically increased the percentage of egg shape index, shell weight and shell thickness .

Egg yolk fatty acid profile———

The hens fed 1% turmeric significantly decrease the yolk total lipid.

Intestinal morphology——-

It is Found that the duodenal villi heights were significantly higher in birds fed turmeric powder at level of 200 mg/kg at 21 and 42 day.

It can be concluded that the utilization of the Turmeric powder until 0.2% level in ration is still able to support a good result on hen-day production and egg weight, furthermore the addition of 0.3% turmeric into commercial chicken ration have positive effect on egg yolk color.

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