ORIGINAL PAPER
Effects of Sida hermaphrodita leaf meal on growth performance,
carcass quality and gastrointestinal tract development
in broiler chickens
More details
Hide details
1
University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn,, Faculty of Animal Bioengineering, Department of Animal Nutrition, Feed Science and Cattle Breeding, 10-718 Olsztyn, Poland
Publication date: 2025-10-13
Corresponding author
M. Mazur-Kuśnirek
University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn,, Faculty of Animal Bioengineering, Department of Animal Nutrition,
Feed Science and Cattle Breeding, 10-718 Olsztyn, Poland
KEYWORDS
TOPICS
ABSTRACT
The aim of this study was to determine the effects of dietary
supplementation with Sida hermaphrodita leaf meal (SH meal) on growth
performance, carcass quality, breast muscle chemical composition, and
gastrointestinal function in broiler chickens. The experimental material consisted
of 100 one-day-old Ross 308 broiler chickens (male), divided into five groups
(10 replicates, 2 birds per replicate). The control group received a standard diet
without SH meal, while the experimental groups were fed diets containing 1, 2, 3,
and 4% SH meal. The parameters assessed included growth performance, breast
muscle chemical composition, carcass quality, gastrointestinal tract morphology,
digesta pH, and short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) concentration. Dietary inclusion of
SH meal at levels up to 4% had no negative effects on final growth performance,
carcass quality traits, or gastrointestinal tract structure. Total SCFA levels were
not affected by SH meal addition, but caecal isobutyric acid concentration was
significantly reduced (P < 0.05) in birds fed SH-supplemented diets. Moreover,
broilers fed diets supplemented with 3% and 4% SH meal were characterised
by increased digesta viscosity (P < 0.05). These findings indicate that SH meal
can be included in broiler diets at levels up to 4% over the entire rearing period
without detrimental effects. Further research is needed to expand knowledge on
the functional efficacy of SH meal in poultry nutrition.
FUNDING
This research was supported by the National Centre for Research and Development (Grant No: 1/270745/2/NCBR/2015) and funded by the Minister of Science under ‘the Regional Initiative of Excellence Program’.
CONFLICT OF INTEREST
The Authors declare that there is no conflict of interest.
REFERENCES (37)
1.
Alba K., Nguyen P.T., Kontogiorgos V., 2021. Sustainable polysaccharides from Malvaceae family: Structure and functionality. Food Hydrocoll. 118, 106749,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.food....
2.
AL-Haweizy A.A., AL-Sardary S., 2007. Effect of dehydrated alfalfa and age on egg weight, egg mass, feed intake and feed conversion efficiency in HY-line® W-98 layers. Slovak J. Anim. Sci. 1, 19–23.
3.
Antoszkiewicz Z., Fijałkowska M., Mazur-Kuśnirek M., Przemieniecki S., Purwin C., 2019. Effect of a harvest date and cutting height on the concentrations of carotenoids and tocopherols in Virginia fanpetals (Sida hermaphrodita) herbage and silage. J. Elem. 24, 1195–1202,
https://doi.org/10.5601/jelem.....
4.
AOAC International, 2016. Official Methods of Analysis of AOAC International. AOAC, Washington, DC (USA).
5.
Arif M., Mian M.A., Durrani F.R., 2000. Effect of different dietary levels of Egyptian clover on broiler performance. Pakistan J. Biol. Sci. 3, 1086–1087,
https://doi.org/10.3923/pjbs.2....
7.
Borkowska H., Molas R., 2012. Two extremely different crops, Salix and Sida, as sources of renewable bioenergy. Biomass Bioenergy 36, 234–240,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biom....
8.
Borkowska H., Styk B., 2006. Ślazowiec pensylwański (Sida hermaphrodita Rusby), Uprawa i wykorzystanie. Wydawnictwo Akademii Rolniczej w Lublinie.
9.
Borsuk M., Purwin C., Baranowska M., Antoszkiewicz Z., Nogalski Z., Mazur-Kuśnirek M., 2021. Assessment of the nutritional value of Sida hermaphrodita (L.) Rusby (Virginia fanpetals): chemical composition of herbage and silage. J. Elem. 26, 249–260,
https://doi.org/10.5601/jelem.....
10.
Boual Z., Kemassi A., Khelil A.O.E.H., Michaud P., El Hadj M.D., 2012. Partial characterization and hydrolysis procedure of water-soluble polysaccharides extracted from Onesaharian medicinal plant: Malva aegyptiaca L. Int. J. Biosci. Biochem. Bioinform. 2, 100,
https://doi.org/10.7763/IJBBB.....
11.
Dinda B., Das N., Dinda S., Dinda M., SilSarma I., 2015. The genus Sida L. – A traditional medicine: its ethnopharmacological, phytochemical and pharmacological data for commercial exploitation in herbal drugs industry. J. Ethnopharmacol. 176, 135–176,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jep.....
12.
Fang X., Wang Z., Chen Q., Du Y., Sun H., Liu H., Feng Y., Li Z., Teng T., Shi B., 2024. Protective effect of the branched short‐chain fatty acid isobutyrate on intestinal damage in weaned piglets through intestinal microbiota remodeling. J. Sci. Food Agric. 105, 1556–1568,
https://doi.org/10.1002/jsfa.1....
13.
He G., Zhao L., Shishir M.S.R., Yang Y., Li Q., Cheng L., Guo A., 2021. Influence of alfalfa meal, as a source of dietary fibre, on growth performance, development, pH of gastrointestinal tract, blood biochemical profile, and meat quality of broilers. J. Appl. Anim. Res. 49, 431–439,
https://doi.org/10.1080/097121....
14.
Jiang S., Gou Z., Li L., Lin X., Jiang Z., 2018. Growth performance, carcass traits and meat quality of yellow-feathered broilers fed graded levels of alfalfa meal with or without wheat. Anim. Sci. J. 89, 561–569,
https://doi.org/10.1111/asj.12....
15.
Jiang J.F., Song X.M., Huang X., Wu J.L., Zhou W.D., Zheng H.C., Jiang Y.Q., 2012. Effects of alfalfa meal on carcase quality and fat metabolism of Muscovy ducks. Br. Poult. Sci. 53, 681–688,
https://doi.org/10.1080/000716....
16.
Kwiatkowska K., Kwiecień M., Winiarska-Mieczan A., 2017. Fast-growing chickens fed with lucerne protein-xanthophyll concentrate: growth performance, slaughter yield and bone quality. J. Anim. Feed Sci. 26, 131–140,
https://doi.org/10.22358/jafs/....
17.
Lin D., Peters B., Sinha R., Goedert J.J., Hayes R., Ahn J., 2017. Association of dietary fiber intake and gut microbiota in healthy adults. J. Clin. Oncol. 35, 1569–1569,
https://doi.org/10.1017/S00071....
18.
Michalski J.P., Borsuk M., Nogalski Z., Baranowska M., Krawczyńska A., Purwin C., 2020. Ruminal degradability of Virginia fanpetals (Sida hermaphrodita) herbage and silage depending on the harvest time. J. Anim. Feed Sci. 29, 316–322,
https://doi.org/10.22358/jafs/....
19.
Munir A., Youssef F.S., Ishtiaq S., Kamran S.H., Sirwi A., Ahmed S.A., Ashour M.L., Elhady S.S., 2021. Malva parviflora leaves mucilage: an eco-friendly and sustainable biopolymer with antioxidant properties. Polymers 13, 4251,
https://doi.org/10.3390/polym1....
20.
Nahm M., Morhart C., 2018. Virginia mallow (Sida hermaphrodita (L.) Rusby) as perennial multipurpose crop: biomass yields, energetic valorization, utilization potentials, and management perspectives. GCB Bioenergy 10, 393–404,
https://doi.org/10.1111/gcbb.1....
21.
Nguyen H.T., Bedford M.R., Morgan, N.K., 2021. Importance of considering non-starch polysaccharide content of poultry diets. Worlds Poult. Sci. J. 77, 619–637,
https://doi.org/10.1080/004393....
22.
Nogalski Z., Starczewski M., Purwin C., Pogorzelska-Przybyłek P., Sobczuk-Szul M., Modzelewska-Kapituła M., 2020. Carcass and meat quality traits in young bulls fed Virginia fanpetals silage. Ann. Anim. Sci. 20, 1127–1140,
https://doi.org/10.2478/aoas-2....
23.
Nutrient Requirements of Poultry. Nutritional Recommendations and Nutritive Value of Feed., 2018. Smulikowska S., Rutkowski A. (Eds.), Kielanowski Institute of Animal Physiology and Nutrition, Polish Academy of Sciences, Jabłonna, Poland.
24.
Pleger L., Weindl P.N., Weindl P.A., Carrasco L.S., Leitao C., Zhao M., Schade B., Aulrich K., Bellof G., 2020. Effects of increasing alfalfa (Medicago sativa) leaf levels on the fattening and slaughtering performance of organic broilers. J. Anim. Physiol. Anim. Nutr. 104, 1317–1332,
https://doi.org/10.1111/jpn.13....
25.
Purwin C., Borsuk-Stanulewicz M., Nogalski Z., Baranowska M., Zygmuntowicz A., Michalski J.P., 2022. Digestibility and palatability of Virginia fanpetals (Sida hermaphrodita R.) silage in sheep. Arch. Anim. Breed. 65, 89–96,
https://doi.org/10.5194/aab-65....
26.
Purwin C., Gugołek A., Strychalski J., Fijałkowska M., 2019. Productivity, nutrient digestibility, nitrogen retention, and meat quality in rabbits fed diets supplemented with Sida hermaphrodita. Animals 9, 901,
https://doi.org/10.3390/ani911....
27.
Rama Rao S., Paul S.S., Raju M., Prakash B., Srilatha T., 2019. Effect of incremental levels of dietary total sulfur amino acids on performance of white leghorn laying hens fed diets containing guar (Cyamopsis tetragonoloba) meal. J. Sci. Food Agric. 99, 3086–3096,
https://doi.org/10.1002/jsfa.9....
28.
Sadeghi A., Toghyani M., Gheisari A., 2015. Effect of various fiber types and choice feeding of fiber on performance, gut development, humoral immunity, and fiber preference in broiler chicks. Poult. Sci. 94, 2734–2743,
https://doi.org/10.3382/ps/pev....
29.
Tarkowski A., Kwiecień M., 2002. The effect of addition of sida meal (Sida hermaphrodita Rusby) to the ration for gilts. Ann. Univ. Mariae Curie-Skłodowska Sect. EE: Zootechnica, 20, 327-333.
30.
Tarkowski A., Truchliński J., 2012. Nutritional value of Virginia fanpetals (Sida hermaphrodita Rusby) protein in evaluation of nitrogen fertilization effect on environment. New Med. 1, 8–11.
32.
Tkáčová J., Angelovičová M., Mrázová L., Kliment M., Král M., 2011. Effect of different proportion of lucerne meal in broiler chickens. Anim. Sci. Biotechnol. 44, 141–144.
33.
Wojtunik-Kulesza K., Oniszczuk A., Oniszczuk T., Combrzyński M., Nowakowska D., Matwijczuk A., 2020. Influence of in vitro digestion on composition, bioaccessibility and antioxidant activity of food polyphenols—A non-systematic review. Nutrients, 12, 1401,
https://doi.org/10.3390/nu1205....
34.
Van Soest P.J., Robertson J.B., Lewis B.A., 1991. Methods for dietary fiber, neutral detergent fiber, and nonstarch polysaccharides in relation to animal nutrition. J. Dairy Sci. 74, 3583–3597,
https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.S0....
35.
Varzaru I., Panaite T.D., Untea A.E., 2020. Effects of dietary supplementation of alfalfa meal and rice bran on growth performance, carcass characteristics and intestinal microbiota in broilers. Arch. Zootechnica 23, 117–128,
https://doi.org/10.2478/azibna....
37.
Zheng M., Mao P., Tian X., Guo Q., Meng L., 2019. Effects of dietary supplementation of alfalfa meal on growth performance, carcass characteristics, meat and egg quality, and intestinal microbiota in Beijing-you chicken. Poult. Sci. 98, 2250–2259,
https://doi.org/10.3382/ps/pey....