Effects of propolis and royal jelly dietary supplementation on performance, egg characteristics, lipid peroxidation, antioxidant enzyme activity and mineral levels in Japanese quail

Abstract

This study aimed to determine the effects of propolis and royal jelly (RJ) dietary supplementation on performance, egg characteristics, lipid peroxidation, antioxidant enzyme activity and mineral levels in Japanese quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica). A total of 216, 43-day-old Japanese quail were allocated to three experimental groups: Control (basal diet 20% CP, 12.3 ME/kg); Propolis (basal diet supplemented with 4 g propolis/kg) and RJ (basal diet with an oral dose of 500 mg royal jelly/kg BW). The final body weight was significantly (P<0.05) increased in the RJ treatment. Feed conversion ratio (FCR) was improved (P<0.05) in the propolis quail versus RJ quail. Egg characteristics such as shell weight (P<0.01), shell thickness (P<0.05) and shell rate (P<0.05) were highest in propolis quail compared to the other groups. Malondialdehyde (MDA) levels in liver tissue did not differ between treatments (P>0.05). Liver superoxide dismutase and catalase enzyme activities of propolis fed quail were higher (P<0.05) than those of the other groups. Reduced glutathione and glutathione peroxidase activity was reduced in the propolis group (P<0.05). Higher concentration of Ca (P<0.05) was found in propolis serum, whereas, concentrations of Cu, Zn, Mg were similar in all groups. It can be concluded that propolis supplementation of 4 g/kg in a quail diet improved FCR, serum Ca level and antioxidant status compared to oral application of RJ at 500 mg/kg bw.