• Food Science of Animal Resources
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.168-177
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• 2009

This study was conducted to investigate the dietary effects of locally grown herbs (Mentha piperascens, PM; Rubus coreanus, RC; Tagetes patula, MG) on the growth performance and meat quality of broiler chicken. A total of 600 1-d-old Ross male broiler chicks were divided into eight groups and were fed control diets (antibiotics-medicated or non-medicated commercial diets) or experimental diets (non-medicated diets containing 0.3 or 0.5% PM, 0.3 or 0.5% RC, or 0.3 or 0.5% MG) for 5wk. The body weight gains and feed conversion rates (FCRs) in all the groups that were fed diets containing PM, RC, or MG were significantly improved compared to those in the non-medicated control group (p<0.05). The relative weights of various organs, the serum cholesterol levels, and the GOT/GPT activities in all the groups were also not significantly different. The superoxide dismutase (SOD)-like activities in the groups that were fed diets containing 0.3% PM or 0.3% MG were significantly increased compared to those in the non-medicated control group (p<0.05). The number of cecal lactic-acid bacteria in the groups that were fed diets containing 0.3% PM or 0.5% RC tended to increase. The malondialdehyde contents in the leg muscles were significantly lowered by feeding with PM or MG (p<0.05). The physicochemical properties of the edible meat, including the shear force, water-holding capacity, heat loss, pH, and muscle color degrees $(CIEL^*.\;a^*.\;b^*)$, were not affected by the dietary treatments. It has been suggested that spontaneous Korean plants promote the growth of broilers and may delay lipid oxidation in edible muscles without any negative effect when added in broiler diets.