Effects of Graded Levels of Creatine monohydrate and Protein in Diets on Performance and Meat quality of Broilers

This experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of different levels of creatine and protein in diets on performance and meat quality of broiler chickens. A total of 320 day old Ross broiler chicks were used in a 2×4 factorial arrangement of dietary treatments comprised two levels of protein (Ross recommendation and 10% higher than recommendation) and four levels of creatine (0, 0.1, 0.3 and 0.5% of diet) in a completely randomized design with four replicates and 10 chicks per replicate. Performance characteristics were measured at the end of starter (0-10 d), grower (11-24 d) and finisher (25-42 d) periods. The concentration of MDA was measured in breast meat after induced oxidation by ferrous sulphate and ascorbic acid. pH and WHC were measured in breast and tight meat at the end of period. The results showed that chicks fed on diets containing high level of protein had more feed intake and weight gain and showed better feed conversion ratio (P<0.05).Body weight gain and feed conversion improved by increasing in the amount of dietary creatine (P<0.05).Water holding capacity of the breast and thigh meat increased by increasing in dietary protein and creatine (P<0.05). Also different levels of protein and creatine monohydrate had no significant effect on the pH and MDA contents of breast and thigh meat after slaughtering. The results obtained in this experiment indicate that creatine supplementation of broiler diets containing recommended protein level by manuals or 10% higher than it, improve growth performance and meat quality.