The Effects of purslane (Portulaca oleracea L.) powder on growth performance, carcass characteristics, antioxidant status, and blood metabolites in broiler chickens

• Inclusion of Purslane powder in broiler chicken diet improved feed conversion ratio.
• Greater liver catalase activity was recorded in broiler chickens fed 0.25 or 0.75% of Purslane powder. Erythrocyte GSH-Px activity was also greater when 0.5 and 1.0% of Purslane powder included in the diet.
• Inclusion of Purslane powder in the diet increased ileum Lactobacillus population and decreased Escherichia coli population.

This experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of Portulaca oleracea L. powder (POP) on growth performance, carcass characteristics, antioxidant status, and blood metabolites in broiler chickens. A total of 280 one-day-old male broiler chickens were randomly assigned to 5 treatments: corn-soya bean meal as the basal control diet and the basal diet containing 0.25, 0.50, 0.75, or 1.00% of POP. Each treatment consisted of 4 replicate pens with 14 broiler chickens per pen. The results indicated that dietary inclusion of POP had no effect on broiler chickens body weight (BW) and body weight gain (BWG), whereas feed intake (FI) decreased compared to control (P<0.05). Broiler chickens fed diets supplemented with 0.25, 0.75, and 1.00% of POP had a lower (P<0.05) feed conversion ratio (FCR) compared to control at days 11–25 and 1–43 of age. At day 43 of age liver superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activities were not affected by the treatments, whereas a greater (P<0.05) liver catalase activity (CAT) was recorded in broiler chickens fed 0.25 or 0.75% POP. Erythrocyte GSH-Px activity was also greater (P<0.05) when 0.50 and 1.00% of POP was added to the diet. Serum total antioxidant capacity (TAC) and serum and liver malondialdehyde (MDA) concentrations were not affected by POP supplementation. Carcass characteristics, serum cholesterol, glucose, albumin, total protein, high density lipoproteins, and low density lipoproteins as well as haematocrit and haemoglobin values were not affected by POP treatments, whereas serum triglycerides increased (P<0.05) in broiler chickens fed POP supplemented diets. Supplementation of diet with POP increased Lactobacillus population and decreased Escherichia coli population in the ileum (P<0.05). In conclusion, POP improved feed efficiency and antioxidant status and can be considered as a feed additive in broiler chickens.