EFFECTS OF REPLACING SOYBEAN MEAL WITH MORINGA STENOPETALA LEAF MEAL ON SHELF-LIFE STABILITY AND SENSORY ATTRIBUTES OF INTERNAL EGG QUALITY IN LAYING HENS

This study was designed to assess the impact of substituting soybean meal (SBM) with Moringa stenopetala leaf (MSL) on shelf-life of eggs stored in different durations and sensory attributes of internal egg qualities. Diets were formulated to contain MSL at a rate of 0 (control), 3%, 8%, and 13% by replacing SBM. Each of the four treatments was assigned to four replicate pens with ten hens each. Quality assessments were performed on day 1 (fresh eggs) and after 4, 7, 10 and 13d of storage time. Egg weight (EW), albumen height (AH), yolk height (YH), yolk width (YW) and yolk colour (YC) were recorded. Haugh unit (HU) and yolk index (YI) were computed. Sensory evaluation was held in two sessions with 18 panellists and rated each sample using a five-point hedonic scale. Except for YC, interaction effect was insignificant. Dietary substitution improved YH, YI and YC (p<0.05). Storage time reduced all quality traits while it increased YW (p<0.05). Albumen height, HU, YH, and YI reduced linearly while YI reduced quadratically by storage (p<0.001). Storage time reduced YC of 8% and 13% fed groups by 3.32 and 4.53%, respectively compared to control (19.4%). Shelf-life of AH in 13% diet was extended by 14.6% at 13d storage. Hens fed the 13% diet demonstrated the highest shelf-life of YH and YI. Compared to control, best aroma, taste and YC was observed in hens fed 13% diet (p<0.05). Overall acceptability was highest for 13% diet and differed from that of 3% (p=0.023) and control diets (p<0.001). In conclusion, the present findings provide compelling evidence that MSL represents a promising alternative feed to improve sensory quality and storage stability of table eggs.