A Randomized and Controlled Experimental Study of the Effects of Chinese Herbal Medicine on In-Life Clinical Pathology Parameters and Fatty Acid, Free Amino Acid and Inosine Content in Wenchang Chicken Meat

The aim of this research was to evaluate the effects of Chinese herbal medicine on blood profiles, muscle fatty acid, free amino acid and inosine composition in Wenchang chickens (the Chinese local breed). One hundred twenty, one-day-old female Wenchang chickens were randomly distributed into two dietary treatments in five replicates, each containing twelve birds for a period of 135 days. The dietary treatments were control group (basal diet) and Chinese herbal medicine group which consisted of basal diet with three different formulations of Chinese herbal medicine at the level of 0.5% in three different growing phases of chickens. Results showed that dietary supplementation with 0.5% Chinese herbal medicine did not have any adverse impact on blood profiles. Fatty acids present in breast meat, arachidonic acid and ratio of polyunsaturated fatty acids to saturated fatty acids in the Chinese herbal medicine group were higher than those in the control group (P<0.05). Total free amino acids (aspartic acid, serine, arginine) in the Chinese herbal medicine group were higher than the corresponding values in the control group (P<0.05). Additionally, the Chinese herbal medicine formulas increased the content of inosine by 8.7% compared to the control group (P<0.05). The results indicated that dietary supplementation with 0.5% Chinese herbal medicine had no adverse in-life effects on Wenchang chickens and can be used to improve meat taste and nutritional profile.