Dietary Dried Orange Pulp as a Functional Feed Ingredient to Improve Broiler Chicken Productivity

Abstract

Dried orange pulp (DOP), a by-product of the fruit processing industry, is a valuable source of nutrients such as flavonoids, isoflavones, and flavones, with potential applications in animal and poultry nutrition. The present study aimed to evaluate the effects of incorporating dried sweet orange by-products (DOP) into broiler diets on growth performance, serum metabolites, and antioxidant status. A total of 200 broiler chicks (15 days old) were randomly assigned to four dietary treatments in a completely randomized design. Each treatment included five replicates of 10 birds. The treatments consisted of a control diet (0% DOP) and three experimental diets in which corn was partially replaced with 5%, 10%, or 15% DOP during the grower and finisher periods. Body weight (BW), feed conversion ratio (FCR), and carcass characteristics were recorded. Broilers fed increasing levels of DOP exhibited significantly improved FCR compared to the control group (P < 0.05), along with higher BW in the 5%, 10%, and 15% DOP groups (P < 0.05). Eviscerated carcass yield (% of live body weight) was statistically similar across groups (P = 0.057). However, abdominal fat was significantly reduced by 22% in broilers fed 15% DOP (P < 0.001), and liver yield was significantly higher in the 10% and 15% DOP groups compared to the control (P < 0.05). These findings suggest that dietary inclusion of DOP can enhance growth performance and carcass traits in broiler chickens, supporting its potential as a sustainable feed ingredient.