Meta-analysis of the influence of phytobiotic (pepper) supplementation in broiler chicken performance

AbstractThe aim of the study is to use meta-analytical procedure to resolve uncertainty, identify knowledge gaps, and create new insights using published data on the phytobiotic effect of dietary pepper intervention on daily feed intake (DFI), average daily gain (ADG), and feed conversion ratio (FCR) in broiler chickens. The authors accessed AGORA, Scopus, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar databases for primary studies published between 2011 and 2018 using combinations of different search terms. Fifteen studies were included to assess phytobiotic effect of pepper on DFI, FCR, and ADG in broiler chickens. Random-effects model (REM) was used to generate pooled effect estimates at 95% confidence intervals (CI). Analysis was performed using Open Meta-analyst for Ecology and Evolution (OpenMEE) software, while publication bias and source of heterogeneity were assessed using standard methods. Dietary pepper supplementation enhanced ADG (standardized mean difference (SMD) = 0.576, 95% CI 0.444 to 0.707,p< 0.001) and FCR (SMD = 0.325, 95% CI − 0.453 to − 0.196,p< 0.001) considering the presence of heterogeneity and publication bias. DFI (SMD = 0.052, 95%CI − 0.069 to 0.173,p = 0.403) was not significantly influenced by dietary pepper supplementation. Restricted subgroup analysis revealed that both black and red pepper increased ADG (p< 0.001). Broilers on black pepper intervention had better FCR (p = 0.002) than broilers on red pepper treatment. Higher (p< 0.05) DFI...
Source: Tropical Animal Health and Production - Category: Veterinary Research Source Type: research