Supplementation of Dietary Probiotics Improves Performance, Physicochemical Characteristics, and Oxidative Stability of Broiler Meat

Researchers are becoming more interested in discovering ways to sustain chicken health and productivity since many nations have banned the use of antibiotic growth promoters in an effort to meet customer expectations for safe and healthy meat. Probiotics have a positive impact on the gut health, nutrient utilization, and antioxidant capacity of broiler chickens, which in turn improves the meat quality, including its fat profiles, lipid oxidative stability, water-holding capacity, and tenderness. The aim of this study was to evaluate the physicochemical characteristics, antioxidant capacity, oxidative stability, and microbial load of broiler meat after dietary supplementation with probiotics ( Lactobacillus acidophilus (LBA) and Bifidobacterium bifidum (BB)). A total of 240 day-old broiler chicks were randomly assigned to six groups with five replicates and eight birds each. Six dietary treatments were developed: T 1 (control diet), T 2 (T 1 + Bacitracin methylene disalicylate at 0.002%), T 3 (T 1 + LBA at 10 6 cfu/g feed), T 4 (T 1 + LBA at 10 7 cfu/g feed), T 5 (T 1 + BB at10 6 cfu/g feed), and T 6 (T 1 + BB at 10 7 cfu/g feed). At the end of the 42-day period, 15 birds from each group were chosen at random, and their breasts and thighs were sampled. The study found that birds fed T 3 or T 4 diets performed better ( P ≤ 0.05) in terms of growth and productivity. LBA supplementation (T 3 ) significantly increased ( P ≤ 0.05) at 5–8% water-holding capacity (WHC) in breast muscle, extract release volume (ERV) in breast and thigh muscles, ABTS+ 2,2-azinobis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid), and DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) levels in breast and thigh muscles, and significantly ( P ≤ 0.05) decreased TBARS (thiobarbituric acid-reactive substance) at 20–25% and cholesterol levels in the thigh and breast muscles. The LBA-supplemented group had significantly decreased ( P ≤ 0.05) standard plate count (SPC), Staphylococcus, and coliform counts. Therefore, the current study’s findings suggest that adding L. acidophilus to the broiler diet at a rate of 10 6 cfu/g feed may enhance the meat’s physicochemical characteristics, antioxidant indices, and other metrics more than probiotic BB. It is also more affordable than other doses of LBA and BB.