Effects of dietary supplementation with nanocurcumin on quality and safety of meat from broiler chicken infected with Eimeria species

Coccidiosis is the most common parasitic disease of poultry which causes economic damage not only by mortality, but also by impaired growth rate, malabsorption, body weight loss, and the negative effects on the product's yield and quality. This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of dietary supplementation with nanocurcumin on carcass characteristics and physical and chemical properties of broiler chicken breast meat infected with Eimeria acervulina, Eimeria maxima, and Eimeria tenella. Fifty one-day-old chicks were randomly assigned to five treatment groups: (1) noninfected/nonmedicated, (2) infected/nonmedicated, (3) infected/medicated (nanocurcumin 300 mg/kg), (4) infected/medicated (nanocurcumin 400 mg/kg), and (5) infected/medicated (antibiotic). Carcass characteristics of Group 3 improved in comparison with Groups 4 and 2, significantly (p < .05). Groups 3 and 4 decreased drip loss and cooking loss and increased protein content in comparison with Group 2. Groups 3 and 4 showed significantly higher a* values in comparison to Group 2 at the first and the 30th day under freeze condition. TBARS value of Group 2 was higher than Group 1, while Group 3 had significantly lower TBARS value than Group 2. SDS-PAGE patterns and DSC profiles do not show any differences. Nanocurcumin (300 mg/kg) can be used as a potential promising feed additive in poultry production. Practical applications Considering the economic losses due to negative effects of coccidiosis on growth rate and meat quality of broiler chicken, nanocurcumin as a natural and safe food additive can be a promising approach to improve the nutritional value and organoleptic factors of poultry meat during shelf life.