Comparative impact of garlic and black garlic as natural feed additives on carcass, abdominal fat, and cholesterol of broilers

Abstract

This study investigated the effects of garlic (Allium sativum) and black garlic supplementation as feed additives on carcass, abdominal fat, and cholesterol levels in broilers. A total of 150 day-old broiler chicks were randomly assigned to three dietary treatments: control (no supplementation), garlic powder supplementation (3.0% w/w), and black garlic powder supplementation (3.0% w/w) for 35 days. Carcass yield, abdominal fat percentage, serum cholesterol and meat cholesterol were measured at the end of the experiment. Both garlic and black garlic groups exhibited significant reductions (p<0.05) in abdominal fat deposition and total serum cholesterol compared to controls, with black garlic showing a more pronounced effect. Carcass composition improvements were observed in treated groups, indicated by higher breast muscle yield. The findings suggest that supplementing broiler diets with 3% black garlic powder significantly reduced abdominal fat and decreased serum and meat cholesterol levels without negatively affecting carcass yield.