Evaluation of Non-Fermented and Fermented Chinese Chive Juice as an Alternative to Antibiotic Growth Promoters of Broilers

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Rampant use of growth-promoting antibiotics in the poultry industry has resulted in enhanced harmful concentrations in livestock products ushering in the evolution of multidrug resistance strains. Plant feed additives are being explored, and among them, Chinese chives (CC), which contain various phytonutrients, can offer a promising alternative. We performed a comparative study to examine the effects of non-fermented and fermented CC feed additives on broiler productivity, chicken meat quality, blood composition, intestinal properties, and gut microbiota. We observed a high broiler productivity for the treatment group subjected to fermented CC juice on par with growth-promoting antibiotics. Fermented CC juice influenced low cholesterol content in the broilers while inhibiting the growth of intestinal pathogens. ABSTRACT: The present study explores the application of CC juice as a suitable feed additive and alternative to conventional antibiotics. We performed a comparative study to investigate the effects of non-fermented and fermented CC juice on broiler productivity, meat quality, blood characteristics, intestinal characteristics, and microbiota associated with intestinal characteristics. A total of 800 one-day-old Ross 308 broiler chickens were randomly assigned to one of the four dietary treatment groups: (1) basal diet (negative control; NC); (2) basal diet + 0.01% enramycin (positive control; PC); (3) basal diet + 3% non-fermented CC juice (NCC; CC juice 10%, water 90%); and (4) basal diet + 3% fermented CC juice (FCC; CC juice 10%, water 90%, Lactobacillus plantarum SK4719). Feed and water were provided ad libitum. Intriguingly, all treatments showed similar results in terms of broiler productivity and chicken meat quality. Considering organ characteristics, the FCC group showed a low spleen weight and lower (p < 0.05) blood levels of AST and total cholesterol (TCHO). Regarding intestinal characteristics, the CC feed additive (NCC and FCC) resulted in a heavier intestinal weight (p < 0.05) without affecting the length ratio of the villi or the crypt compared to the control (NC or PC). NCC and FCC lowered the growth of intestinal pathogens (p < 0.01). In summary, the addition of FCC can maintain poultry health by improving blood compositions and inhibiting the growth of intestinal pathogens, leading to a productivity comparable to that of poultry treated with growth-promoting antibiotics.