Effect of Mashed Lime Fruit Juice on Carcass Yield, Internal Organs, Economics and Nutritive Value of Meat of Broiler Chickens

An experiment was conducted to determine the effect of mashed lime fruit juice on carcass, internal organs weight, nutritive value and the economic benefit of broilers. One hundred and fifty (150) day old unsexed Anak broiler chicks were used. The birds were divided into five treatments (T), each of the treatments was replicated three times with ten birds per replicate. Treatment one was a basal starter diet containing no mashed lime fruit juice which served as control. Treatments (T2 – T5) were formed by adding respectively 10, 15, 20 and 25ml/kg mashed lime fruit juice to the basal starter diet. At the finisher phase the birds were fed finisher diets containing also the same level of the juice as the starter diets. The birds were fed starter diet for the first four weeks and finisher diet for the last three weeks giving seven weeks the experiment lasted. Water was also offered ad libitum throughout the experiment. Results showed that the nutritive value was not affected by the mashed lime juice. Dressed weight, dressing percentage and breast weight were significantly (P<0.05) improved by 20ml/kg, but were reduced (P>0.05) by 25ml/kg. All the levels of the juice produced bigger gizzard and lower gizzard and abdominal fats. The size of small intestine was reduced by all the levels, while above 10ml/kg bile volume was reduced. Both the revenue and gross margin were improved by 20ml/kg. In conclusion, 20ml/kg of mashed lime fruit juice could be added to broiler diets for feed cost minimization and profit maximization.

Keywords: broilers, carcass, internal organs, economic benefit, mashed lime fruit juice, nutritive value.