Dietary supplementation with mushroom powder (Agaricus bisporus) on performance, carcass traits, meat quality, and bone biomechanical properties of quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica)

Abstract

[EN] This study was performed to determine the efect of mushroom powder (MP) (Agaricus bisporus) supplementation on growing Japanese quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica). A total of 300 unsexed 1-day-old Japanese quails with similar body weights (8.38±0.2 g) were randomly assigned to fve treatment groups with six replications. Additions of 0, 0.25, 0.50, 0.75, or 1.00% of MP to the basal diet were used to develop the treatment groups. Quails were fed ad libitum for 42 days. At the end of the experiment, 12 quails from each experimental unit were euthanised to determine performance, carcass traits, meat quality, and bone biochemical properties. Results showed that all dietary MP did not negatively afect any performance parameters (P>0.05), while by the third week of life, there was an increase (P<0.05) in body weight and body weight gain in the quails of the 0.75% MP group compared to the control group. Nevertheless, these diferences disappeared at the end of the trial (P>0.05). No diferences were observed (P>0.05) for any of the studied carcass traits, except for the pancreas weight which decreased (P<0.05) with the addition of high MP (1.00%). Regarding meat quality, all color parameters were afected on the ffth day of sampling (P<0.05) but not on the frst day (P>0.05). It was detected that the breast of the quails in group 0.75% MP had the highest L* value and the lowest a* value. While the breast of the 1.00% MP group had the highest b value and the lowest pH value. Dietary MP enhanced oxidative stability, reducing malondialdehyde (MDA) value in the breast compared to the control at both sampling points (P<0.01), being more noted on the ffth day of sampling. Bone biomechanical properties (in terms of shear force or shear stress) were improved (P<0.01) with the dietary addition of MP at 0.75% compared to the control. It can be suggested that MP is a secure ingredient in animal feed without negatively afecting performance parameters, carcass traits, or meat quality. Therefore, including an interval of 0.50–0.75% of MP in the diet of growing quails could be a suitable strategy to improve certain parameters such as the meat’s oxidative stability and the bone’s biomechanical parameters. Moreover, the efcacy of MP on performance development would be greater during the frst weeks of the quails’ life due to their intestinal conditions at this stage.