<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

<p>Many studies have mentioned the advantages of adding wheat germ to chicken diets, but few were interested in studying the effect of the fermentation process on this addition. The present study aimed to investigate the effects of adding fermented wheat germ extract (FWGE) and immunostimulant (IS) to the broiler diet and water, respectively, on growth performance, hematological and blood biochemical parameters, immune status, and carcass characteristics. A total of 180 one-day-old broiler chicks (Cobb 500) were randomly and equally assigned into four treatment groups of 5 replicates (9 chicks/replicate) each. The first group (G1) served as a control group with a basal diet and normal drinking water, while the second (G2) and the third (G3) groups were treated with a basal diet supplemented with 0.1 and 0.2% of FWGE, respectively. The fourth group (G4) was treated with one level of immunostimulant (ORGA IMMU<sup>®</sup>, 0.2% in drinking water) and served as a positive control. The experiment lasted 35 days. According to the results, adding 0.2% FWGE to the broiler diet (G3) improved (P≤0.05) feed conversion ratio and increased (P≤0.05) live body weight and body weight gain compared to the control group (G1). The G3 also showed improvements (P≤0.05) in red blood cells (RBCs), hemoglobin concentration (Hb), packed cell volume (PCV), and white blood cell (WBC) counts. Blood biochemical parameters, such as total protein, aspartate aminotransferase (AST), and alanine aminotransferase (ALT), were positively affected (P≤0.05) by FWGE and immunostimulant treatments. Hemagglutination inhibition (HI) titers for Newcastle and Avian Influenza viruses, phagocytic activity (PA), phagocytic index (PI), and lysozyme activity (LA) were significantly (P≤0.05) improved by FWGE and immunostimulant treatments. Furthermore, carcass traits, such as carcass weight and dressing percentage, were improved (P≤0.05) by adding FWGE and immunostimulant treatments. The inclusion of FWGE in the broiler chicken diet by 0.2% had a considerably positive impact on the birds’ growth performance, health, and carcass quality.</p>
</abstract>

Many studies have mentioned the advantages of adding wheat germ to chicken diets, but few were interested in studying the effect of the fermentation process on this addition. The present study aimed to investigate the effects of adding fermented wheat germ extract (FWGE) and immunostimulant (IS) to the broiler diet and water, respectively, on growth performance, hematological and blood biochemical parameters, immune status, and carcass characteristics. A total of 180 one-day-old broiler chicks (Cobb 500) were randomly and equally assigned into four treatment groups of 5 replicates (9 chicks/replicate) each. The first group (G1) served as a control group with a basal diet and normal drinking water, while the second (G2) and the third (G3) groups were treated with a basal diet supplemented with 0.1 and 0.2% of FWGE, respectively. The fourth group (G4) was treated with one level of immunostimulant (ORGA IMMU®, 0.2% in drinking water) and served as a positive control. The experiment lasted 35 days. According to the results, adding 0.2% FWGE to the broiler diet (G3) improved (P≤0.05) feed conversion ratio and increased (P≤0.05) live body weight and body weight gain compared to the control group (G1). The G3 also showed improvements (P≤0.05) in red blood cells (RBCs), hemoglobin concentration (Hb), packed cell volume (PCV), and white blood cell (WBC) counts. Blood biochemical parameters, such as total protein, aspartate aminotransferase (AST), and alanine aminotransferase (ALT), were positively affected (P≤0.05) by FWGE and immunostimulant treatments. Hemagglutination inhibition (HI) titers for Newcastle and Avian Influenza viruses, phagocytic activity (PA), phagocytic index (PI), and lysozyme activity (LA) were significantly (P≤0.05) improved by FWGE and immunostimulant treatments. Furthermore, carcass traits, such as carcass weight and dressing percentage, were improved (P≤0.05) by adding FWGE and immunostimulant treatments. The inclusion of FWGE in the broiler chicken diet by 0.2% had a considerably positive impact on the birds’ growth performance, health, and carcass quality.

The effect of fermented wheat germ extract on broiler chicks’ growth performance, immunological status, and carcass characteristics

Department of Poultry Production, Faculty of Agriculture (El-Shatby)

Department of Poultry and Fish Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine

Annals of Animal Science

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Many studies have mentioned the advantages of adding wheat germ to chicken diets, but few were interested in studying the effect of the fermentation process on...

The effect of fermented wheat germ extract on broiler chicks’ growth performance, immunological status, and carcass characteristics

Published Online: Apr 24, 2024

Page range: -

Received: Nov 27, 2023

Accepted: Apr 08, 2024

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/aoas-2024-0048

Keywords
biochemical indices, body weight, carcass quality, FWGE, health, immunostimulant

© 2024 Rasha Abd Elghafar et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

The effect of fermented wheat germ extract on broiler chicks’ growth performance, immunological status, and carcass characteristics

Published Online: Apr 24, 2024

Page range: -

Received: Nov 27, 2023

Accepted: Apr 08, 2024

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/aoas-2024-0048

Keywordsbiochemical indices, body weight, carcass quality, FWGE, health, immunostimulant

© 2024 Rasha Abd Elghafar et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Keywords
biochemical indices, body weight, carcass quality, FWGE, health, immunostimulant