Growth Performance and Economic Feasibility of Guarana By-products in Diets for Slow-growing Broilers

ABSTRACT The study evaluated the inclusion of guarana by-products, guarana peel meal (GPEM), and guarana pulp meal (GPUM) in diets for slow-growing broilers to assess their impact on growth performance and economic feasibility. To evaluate the effects of guarana by-products, two experiments were conducted. In both experiments, 240 slow-growing male broilers of the Label Rouge strain were used. Both experiment 1 (testing GPEM) and experiment 2 (testing GPUM) were conducted using a completely randomized design, with treatments consisting of a control diet (without the inclusion of the tested product) and four levels of inclusion of the tested product (2.5%, 5.0%, 7.5%, and 10%) in the diets, each with four replicates of 12 birds. GPEM, with higher fiber content, improved feed efficiency and weight gain at higher inclusion levels (up to 10%), while GPUM, with higher energy content, showed optimal performance at intermediate levels (7.5%). Both by-products enhanced meat production and economic returns compared to the basal diet. The results suggest that GPEM is suitable for systems prioritizing feed efficiency and cost-effectiveness, while GPUM is better suited for phases requiring higher energy intake and weight gain. Additionally, the use of these agro-industrial residues promotes sustainability by integrating circular economy practices into poultry production. The findings highlight the potential of guarana by-products as alternative feed ingredients to improve productivity and reduce costs, particularly in regions with abundant availability of these residues.