The Performance and Egg Quality Parameters Effect of Pomegranate Pulp on of Laying Hens in Peak Production

One of the main sections of charges in poultry production is the cost of the ration. Thus, the producers are continuously looking to find new compounds that using in poultry diets with low prices. Usage the agricultural and food industry by-products are new strategies to reduce the environmental contamination and animal diet costs. Pomegranate granatum is a fruit from the punicaceae family. The pomegranate pulp is a byproduct that has valuable components for poultry nutrition involved protein, fat, Ash and bioactive compounds. Pomegranate pulp has punicallagin, ellagic acid, tannic acid, flavonoid and anthocyanin. The usage of antibiotic in poultry production was banned because they have several negative effects on poultry and human. Therefore, the medicinal herb contained flavonoid and polyphenolic compounds were extremely increased. An experiment was designed to evaluate the effects of pomegranate pulp and Multi- Enzyme on performance parameters, egg quality, eggshell parameters, egg lipid profiles, blood lipid profile, and the blood concentration of malondialdehyde in peak production of laying hens. A total 200 of Hy-Line W-36 at peak production with 32 weeks were selected and allotted to 20 experimental units. The dietary treatments were included the levels of 0, 4, 7 and 10 % of pomegranate pulp with 5gr of multi-enzyme WX. The egg production, egg weight, egg mass feed intake, and feed conversion ratio were weekly recorded. The egg quality parameters involved egg shape, yolk index, yolk color index and haugh unit, the relative weight of yolk and white were determined three consecutive periods (each 28 days). As the same periods, the eggshell parameters such as; eggshell weight, eggshell thickness, specific gravity, and eggshell resistance were evaluated. The egg cholesterol was determined. At the end of experiments, the bloods of two birds from each replication were gathered. The blood plasma was prepared. The blood lipid, total protein, and malondialdehyde were determined by auto analyzer instrument. The data were analyzed with the general linear model by SAS software. The mean differences among treatments were studied by Tukey's test (P<0.05). The results revealed that pomegranate pulp did not affect feed intake. The diets contained 10 percentage of pomegranate pulp increased the egg production, egg weight, egg mass. The FCR decreased when birds received 10 % pomegranate pulp. Pomegranate pulp had a valuable percentage of protein and fat and also it has bioactive components involved ellagic acid, punicallagin and flavonoid that they could be affect the metabolism of birds and improved the performance traits. The egg quality parameters included egg shape, yolk index, and yolk colure index did not affect by the levels of pomegranate pulp. However, the haugh unit and the relative weight of white increased when birds fed 10% pomegranate pulp. Haugh unit is synthetized in the magnum of the oviduct. The concentration of nutrients in the blood may alter the white quality and haugh unit. The eggshell parameters involve eggshell thickness and resistance increased when the 4 percentage of pomegranate pulp were included to laying hen diets, however; the higher levels of pomegranate pulp has not the same effects. Thus, higher concentration of fiber in upper levels of pomegranate pulp may negative influence on the absorption of minerals. The egg yolk lipids included LDL, triglyceride was decreased, and the HDL was increased when pomegranate pulp was added to layer diets. The pomegranate pulp decreased the blood cholesterol. The previous studies were revealed that fiber and flavonoid or polyphenolic components have hypocholesterolemia effects. The pomegranate pulp suppressed the plasma malondialdehyde. The concentration of malondialdehyde is an index of lipid peroxidation. This antioxidant effects on the blood of birds is due to flavonoid, polphenolic, ellagic acid, punicallagin components in pomegranate pulp. It is concluded that pomegranate pulp may be combined with multi enzyme be included to laying hen diets with no any negative effects on performance and egg quality parameters; it also may improve the yolk cholesterol and antioxidant properties of laying hens.