Dietary Effect of Selenium-enriched Radish Sprouts, Vitamin E, and Rhodobacter capsulatus on Hypocholesterolemia and Immunity of Broiler

The study was designed to investigate the effects of dietary Selenium-enriched radish sprouts (Se-RS), Vitamin E (Vit E), and Rhodobacter capsulatus (RC) on immunity, cholesterol concentration, and fatty acid composition in broiler meat. A total of 100 two-week-old male broiler chicks were randomly assigned into five dietary groups: I) Control; II) Se-RS (5 μg/kg Se-RS); III) Se-RS+RC (5 μg/kg Se-RS + 0.2 g/kg RC); IV) Se-RS+Vit E (5 μg/kg Se-RS + 50 mg/kg Vit E) and V) Se-RS+RC+Vit E (5 μg/kg Se-RS + 0.2 g/kg RC + 50 mg/kg Vit E). Diets and clean drinking water were offered ad libitum. After the end of 3-wk of feeding period, serum cholesterol and triglycerides concentrations were lower (P < 0.05) in broilers fed Se-RS + RC + Vit E supplemented diet compared to the control diet. At the end of the 6-wk feeding period, birds fed the Se-RS+RC+Vit E diet significantly (P < 0.05) reduced cholesterol and triglycerides concentrations and improved the ratio of unsaturated fatty acids to saturated fatty acids in broiler meat. The highest (P < 0.05) number of leukocytes was observed in broilers fed Se-RS+RC+Vit E supplemented diet. Foot web index and weights of spleen, bursa, and thymus were significantly (P < 0.05) higher in birds fed Se-RS+RC+Vit E compared to the control diet. Our findings suggest that there are dual benefits of supplementing broiler diets with Se-RS+RC+Vit E because of improvements in the bird’s immunity and meat quality that is important for health conscious consumers.