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Introduction: The productivity of chickens depends, among other factors, on the functionality of the intestine, which is associated with the role of the microbiome. Botanical extracts may be able to modulate the composition of the gut microbiome. Objective: To determine the effects of botanical extracts inclusion in the diet of broiler on the cecal microbiota. Methods: Seven hundred and four one-day-old chickens were distributed into 3 experimental groups: commercial diet (CD), diet with 200 ppm grape seed extract (DSU) and diet with 200 ppm green tea extract (DTV). For DNA extraction, cecal samples were taken from chickens at 21 and 42 days of age. Sequencing of the V3/V4 regions of the bacterial 16S rRNA was done using the Illumina platform. In the identification of the Taxonomic Units (OTUs), reference databases of the 16S rRNA marker were used. Taxonomic classification at the phylum level was done using MEGAN. The relative frequencies of the OTUs were analyzed and compared through analysis of variance and Tukey test (p<0.05). Results and Discussion: The main phyla found were Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, Actinobacteria and Proteobacteria. At 21 days, no differences (P>0.05) in Bacteroidetes were observed between groups. However, Firmicutes abundance was lower (P<0.05) in chickens fed DTV (67±7.9%) than chickens fed DSU (88.3±3.8%) and DC (88.2±7.8%). On the other hand, chickens fed with DTV (1.24±0.18%; 0.7±0.02%) and DSU (2.32±0.16%; 0.8±0.04%) presented higher abundance of Actinobacteria and Proteobacteria compared to chickens fed DC (0.30±0.08%; 0.5±0.01%). At 42 days, no difference (P>0.05) was observed in the abundance of the OTUs of the bacterial phyla. The bacterial microbiome can be regulated by diet, which can lead to positive effects on the productivity and health of broilers. Conclusion: Grape seed and green tea extracts induced differential changes in the cecal microbiota of broiler chickens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: As a strategy to be implemented in poultry feeding, photogenic additives emerge, which have positive impacts on meat quality. Objective: To evaluate the effect of natural extracts (grape and green tea) on breast meat quality. Methods: 408 one-day-old broiler chickens of the Cobb 500 line were used. The animals were randomly distributed into 3 treatments: T1: Balanced control diet according to animal requirements (BC); T2: BC + 400 ppm grape extract; T3: BC + 400 ppm green tea extract; each treatment had 8 replicates of 16 animals. To evaluate meat quality at 42 days, one bird from each replicate was selected, slaughtered, and breast samples were stored in expanded polystyrene trays covered with cling film and stored in a refrigerated showcase for 15 days. pH, texture, and lipid oxidation were evaluated using the TBARS methodology, and the data obtained were analyzed using the SAS 9.4 statistical program. Results and Discussion: When evaluating the pH evolution of the breast, a progressive increase in pH was observed (P=0.009), with birds fed grape showing greater pH stability, as well as lower texture observed in the samples of birds that received grape (P=<0.001) and green tea (P=0.008) at 15 days, indicating that the texture of these samples was softer. When evaluating oxidation, it was observed that at day zero, the lowest values were found in samples from birds fed the green tea diet (P=<0.0001), and at 15 days of storage, the lowest TBARS values were observed in samples from birds fed grape and green tea (P=<0.001), while samples from birds fed the control diet showed the highest TBARS values, indicating greater lipid peroxidation. Conclusion: The breast meat of birds fed grape and green tea extracts has better texture and lower lipid oxidation, indicating better quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Antibiotic growth promoters (APC) are widely and continuously used in the poultry industry. Botanical extracts are presented as an alternative for the prevention of bacterial resistance caused by APC, however, it is important to evaluate their application. Objective: To evaluate the effect of botanical extracts inclusion on nutrients digestibility in broiler chicken diets. Methods: 704 one-day-old chickens were used, distributed in a completely randomized design with 4 treatments: Positive control diet with APC (PCD); negative control diet without APC (DCN), diet with 200 ppm grape extract (DEU) and diet with 200 ppm green tea extract (TEV). For nutrient digestibility analysis, ileal digesta was collected from chickens at 21 and 42 days of age. Subsequently, nutrient analysis was carried out and the digestibility coefficients of dry matter (CDMS), crude protein (CDPB), ethereal extract (CDEE) and gross metabolizable energy (CDEM) were estimated according to AOAC. The data were subjected to analysis of variance and the comparison of means was performed by the Tukey test (p<0.05). Results and Discussion: On day 21, significantly higher values (p<0.05) of CDMS were observed in the DCP (96.57±0.01%) and DCN (96.54±0.01%) diets. For the CDPB, higher values (P<0.05) were observed in the DEU (78.18±0.04%) and DCP (77.83±0.1%) diets, while for the CDEE (88, 46±0.04%) and CDEM (80.62±0.09%) were better (P<0.05) in the TEV diet. At 42 days the CDMS were higher (p<0.05) in the DCP (96.28±0.01%) and DEU (95.92±0.01%) diets and the CDPB were higher (P<0.05) in the DCP (80.74±0.10%) and DCN (79.59±0.32) diets. As at 21 days, for the CDEE (95.80±0.04%) and CDEM (80.69±0.36%) the diet with the best response (P<0.05) was TEV. Some studies suggest that natural extracts increase the digestibility and absorption of nutrients, by stimulating digestive enzymes. Conclusion: The inclusion of natural extracts in broiler chicken diets have a positive effect on nutrient digestibility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]