Phytogenic solution to enhance meat quality attributes: Superliv

Broiler production in the world is more efficient and cost-effective now than 20 years ago because of advances in genetic selection and on-farm housing/environmental and nutritional management. High yielding, fast growing feed-efficient broilers are beneficial to help meeting the growing demands for poultry product.

With rapid growth rate, metabolic muscle myopathies have developed, including woody breast and white striping, as well as issues with water-holding capacity, tenderness, and fat oxidation. There is, therefore, a critical need for novel effective strategies (nutritional/ management) to prevent, or reduce, the incidences of these metabolic disorders and improve meat quality.

Restriction on the use of direct-feed antibiotics (antibiotics as growth promoters) in many countries has fueled the interest in alternative products like phytogenic that has been the focus of veterinarians and farmers in recent years. These plant-derived products have several beneficial effects from antimicrobial and antioxidant activities to the improvement of gut health and growth performance. Human population also from ancient period incorporate several herbs for preparation of their food to add aroma and to make food more juicy and palatable.

Use of phytogenic solutions at one hand acting the role of growth promoter and at other hand prevent, or reduce the incidences of metabolic disorders and improve meat quality.

One such phytogenic solution Superliv contain constituents of many herbs showing promising results in supporting the liver and other important organs for rapid growth of broiler and also reduce the incidences of metabolic disorders and act as antioxidant.

To determine the efficacy of Superliv gold administration on meat quality traits, a study was conducted at the Center of Excellence for Poultry Science, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, USA and published by Oxford University Press in reputed journal of Animal Science 2018.96:3757–3767.

A total of 288 day-old broiler chicks (Cobb 500) with average BW of 41 ± 0.4 g were allotted randomly to 24 pens (12 birds/pens) and divided into three groups containing 96 birds each.

Table: Productive and carcass characteristics

Observation: Birds drinking water supplemented with Superliv Gold (SG) had significantly (P< 0.05) higher slaughter weight than other birds, and produce heavier hot and chilled carcass weight. Supplementing broiler water with SG resulted in decreased (P < 0.05) fat pad percentages and increased (P < 0.05) breast weights compared with the untreated (control) birds. It suggests an enhancement of muscle protein synthesis and reduction of fat deposition through inhibition of lipogenesis and/or an increase of lipolysis process.

Observation: There is significant (P < 0.05) increase in fillets from birds drinking SG had greater (P < 0.05) yellowness (indicative of a more yellow color) and lightness than breast fillets from all other experimental groups. The SG supplemented group had lower (P < 0.05) drip loss percentage than other experimental groups.

The effect of Superliv Gold on the basic taste of the broiler breast fillet is either nil or positive. Adding Polyherbal supplement in the water maintain the basic taste or up to some extent decrease bitterness, however recent studies have demonstrated that natural herbal additives contain various phytochemicals and can possess powerful antioxidant activity. Antioxidant-rich herbs have the potential to protect against oxidative damage by reducing lipid peroxidation and improve the quality of a product. Many herbs and their extracts have been added to a variety of food and diets to improve their sensory characteristics.

Therefore, this study demonstrates the beneficial effect of Superliv Gold treatment in maintaining or we can say improving the carcass quality of the meat. Superliv Gold is giving two-way benefit to the poultry farmers and end consumers not only by improving the production of the broiler meat but also by improving the quality of the chicken meat.

References are available on request: For further information, please contact below Dr. AMit Kumar Pandey