FEEDING VALUE OF LOCAL PHYTO-ADDITIVES, POTENTIAL INGREDIENTS IN POULTRY DIETS.

Four plants have been characterized physico-chemical as vegetal phytoadditives (blueberry leaves, walnut leaves, marigold and buckthorn meal) in order to determine their nutritional value for inclusion in laying hens diets as possible alternatives to the use of antibiotics in poultry feed. Chemical determinations revealed a variable protein content ranging between 6.76% (blueberry leaves) and 14.14% (buckthorn meal). Marigolds had significantly higher iron content (1262.54 ppm) and blueberry leaves showed high concentrations of manganese (1410.10 ppm) and zinc (40.37 ppm). The walnut leaves were characterized by high concentrations of: calcium (2.01%), lutein + zeaxanthin (264.10 ppm), total polyphenols (53.94 mg EAG/g) and polyunsaturated fatty acids, especially a-linolenic acid (13.45 g/100 g total fatty acids). The studied phytoadditives will be evaluated in a digestibility trial for their nutritional assessment in laying hens diets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]