Work

Performance, egg quality, and malondialdehyde in egg yolk of laying hens fed with fingerroot powder under tropical climate

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: The effect of fingerroot (Boesenbergia rotunda) powder on laying hen performance, egg quality and malondialdehyde in the yolk was determined in this study. 192 Hy-Line brown laying hens at 43 weeks were allocated into four treatment groups: control (basal diet), basal diet plus vitamin E at 250 mg/kg, and diets containing 20 g and 40 g fingerroot powder/kg. No differences were observed in egg weight, laying rate, egg mass, feed intake, and feed conversion ratio during the first 3 weeks. Over the past 3 weeks, 20 g of fingerroot powder increased egg weight (p < 0.05). During 6 weeks of feeding, the 40 g fingerroot group had lower feed intake (p < 0.05) but a higher feed conversion ratio (p < 0.01). During 3 weeks of feeding, there was no significant difference in egg quality parameters except yolk colour, which significantly decreased in the group with 40 g fingerroot powder (p < 0.01). The 20 g fingerroot group had increased albumen and shell weights after 6 weeks of feeding (p < 0.05). The experimental diets did not affect MDA levels in fresh or stored eggs, and neither vitamin E nor fingerroot powder showed antioxidant activity. In conclusion, a 20 g/kg diet of fingerroot powder may benefit shell weights, albumen height, and egg weight.

Source: Italian Journal of Animal Science

DOI: 10.1080/1828051x.2025.2580716