Pistachio green hull aqueous extract as a natural anticoccidial: effects on carcass traits, meat quality, serum lipid profile, and gut microbiota in broiler chickens

Abstract This study was conducted to investigate the impact of different concentrations of pistachio ( Pistacia vera ) green hull aqueous extract (PHE, 0, 200, 300, 400 ppm) on the carcass traits, meat quality, serum lipid profile, and ileum microbiota in Eimeria infected broilers (at day 25, One-half of the broilers were orally administered a 20x dose of trivalent live attenuated). A total of 576-day-old Ross 308 broiler chicks (male) were randomly assigned to eight treatments. During infection period (25-42 d), treatments included: 1) without PHE-uninfected (0-No), 2) 200 ppm PHE-uninfected (200-No), 3) 300 ppm PHE-uninfected (300-No), 4) 400 ppm PHE-uninfected (400-No), 5) without PHE-infected (0-Yes), 6) 200 ppm PHE-infected (200-Yes), 7) 300 ppm PHE-infected (300-Yes) and 8) 400 ppm PHE-infected (400-Yes) (with six replicates). The results indicated that Eimeria infection significantly decreased the percentages of carcass, breast, thigh, and spleen weight and enhanced bursa of Fabricius and thymus relative weight (P<0.05). In birds that consumed 200 ppm of PHE, the percentage of abdominal fat was statistically lower than in the control (P<0.05). Pistachio green hull aqueous extract significantly increased lightness (L*) and decreased drip loss and cooking loss values (P<0.05). Breast meat in infected birds indicated statistically greater drip loss values compared to uninfected ones (P<0.05). The use of 300 and 400 ppm of PHE significantly increased high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL) compared to the control (P<0.05). Total cholesterol levels in the 400-No group were significantly lower than treatments 0-No and 200-No (P<0.05). The number of ileal coliforms in the 0-No, 200-No, 400-No, and 300-Yes treatments was statistically lower than in the 0-Yes treatment (P<0.05). In general, despite the adverse impacts of Eimeria infection on the measured parameters, PHE demonstrated its anticoccidial effects by reducing abdominal fat and coliform populations, as well as improving meat quality and serum lipid profile.