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Organ Weight and Gut Microbial Counts of Broiler Chickens Fed Mono-culture Fungal Fermented Mango (<i>Mangifera indica</i>) Kernel Cake


RMO Kayode
A Sani
DF Apata
OR Karim
PF Amojasola

Abstract

Mango Kernel Cake (MKC) was fermented each with the mono-culture of Rhizopus oligosporus, Aspergillus niger, Rhizopus stolonifer and Penicillium chrysogenum for 7days in a fermentor. The fermented MKC was incorporated into the diets of broiler chicks at 20% replacement for maize for four weeks in order to determine the effect of feeding fermented
MKC on gut microbial count and organ weights of broilers. Carcass parameters were determined as percentage of live weight. Results showed that there was significant difference in the values of mean weight of the liver, lung, heart, gizzard, pancreas, proventiculus and small intestine. Mean weight of the kidney and spleen of treated chickens were not
statistically different (P>0.05) from birds fed diet containing unfermented MKC and control diets. The weight of lung and liver of the birds were significantly higher (p<0.05) compared with the control and unfermented diets. The weights (crop, 2.4; gizzard, 1.9; proventiculus, 4.5
and small intestine, 13.2x104cfu/g) obtained for the birds fed on P. chrysogenum fermented MKC were generally lower (p < 0.05) than the values of birds fed on the other diets including the control. Total coliform counts of the birds fed treated diets were generally lower than control diets, although these values were not statistically different in the proventiculus and small intestine. Total coliform counts in the gut of birds fed P. chrysogenum fermented MKC were significantly lower (p<0.05) than the other treatment diets while, fungal counts in the gut parts were not statistically different from the control. Results of carcass characteristics
and microbial counts of the gut varied with the inclusion of different mono-culture fermented MKC indicated that apart from the antibacterial properties of the metabolic products of the fermenting mono-culture fungus, the residual tannins in the fermented products still interfered with the development of the chickens and their gut microflora.

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eISSN: 1596-5511