Nutritional Values of Red Pepper Seed Oil Meal and Effects of Its Supplementation on Performances and Physiological Responses of Broiler Chicks

Two experiments were conducted to evaluate the feeding values of red pepper seed oil meal (RPSOM) and to investigate its dietary supplementation on broiler performances. In Exp. 1, nutritional values of RPSOM were evaluated by analyzing chemical composition and determining true metabolizable energy (TME), nitrogen corrected TME (TMEn) and true available amino acid (TAAA). RPSOM contained 22.50% of CP, 4.75% of ether extract, 27.70% of crude fiber, 4.73% of crude ash and 49.97 ppm of xanthophylls. The contents of capsaicin and dihydrocapsaicin were 34 mg and 31 mg/100 g DM, respectively. The values of TME and TMEn determined by force-feeding 16 roosters were 1.73 kcal/g and 1.63 kcal/g DM, respectively. The average TAAA value of 17 amino acids was 85.22%. In Exp. 2, a total of 225 Ross male broiler chicks, 3 weeks old, were randomly divided into 9 groups of 25 birds each and assigned to three experimental diets containing 0 (control), 5 or 10% RPSOM fed ad libitum for 3 weeks. No significant differences were observed in growth performances and carcass characteristics. The level of serum cholesterol in the 10% RPSOM group was significantly lower than that of the control group (113.92 vs. 137.50 mg/dl). The dietary RPSOM at 5 and 10% levels increased the content of C18:2 ω6 in leg muscle compared with the control group. The results suggested that RPSOM can be included into broiler feed up to 10% without any negative effects on broiler performances and physiological responses and used as a non-conventional plant protein source, if its nutritional values are well evaluated. (