The Effect of Dietary Selenium Source and Vitamin E Levels on Performance of Male Broilers

Selenium and vitamin E are micronutrients essential for normal health and maintenance in poultry.They are necessary in preventing free radical damage to phospholipid membranes, enzymes and other important molecules.Two experiments were conducted in a semi-commercial environment to examine the effect of Se source and vitamin E level in diet on broiler performance and meat quality.Increasing vitamin E from 50 IU to 100 IU did not affect growth performance of broilers although the 24 h drip-loss was tended to be reduced (p=0.06).There was an interaction between vitamin E and the source of Se in glutathione peroxidase activity (GSH-Px) and Se concentration in excreta.Increasing vitamin E from 50 IU to 100 IU elevated GSH-Px and Se concentration in excreta by 42 IU/g Hb and 0.9 ppm for the organic Se group, respectively, but reduced GSH-Px and Se concentration in excreta by 16 IU/g Hb and 1.3 ppm for inorganic group, respectively.Vitamin E played no role in the feather coverage of the birds when scored on day 37. Organic Se is more effective in improving feather score and 24 h drip-loss, with a markedly higher deposition rate in breast muscle and a lower excretion rate in the excreta (p<0.05)compared to the inorganic Se source.Both vitamin E and the source of Se did not affect (p>0.05) the energy utilisation by birds.(Asian-Aust.