Citation of this paper

Effect of mango leaf meal supplementation on production performance, egg quality and carcass characteristics of the pearl Guinea fowl

Clement Gyeabour Kyere^1,2, Patrick Atta Jnr. Poku¹, Michael Boateng², Okyere Korankye³, Yaw Oppong Frimpong², Owusu Aduomi Kwadwo¹, Martin Ofori Junior⁴ and Abdul Muumin Sadick⁵

¹ Department of Science, Seventh-day Adventist College of Education, Post Office Box 29, Agona-Ashanti, Ghana
kyere.clement@yahoo.com
² Department of Animal Science, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Ghana
³ Department of Science, St. Monica’s College of Education, P O Box 250, Mampong-Ashanti, Ghana
⁴ Department of TVET Mampong Technical College of Education, Post Office Box 31, Mampong-Ashanti, Ghana
⁵ Department of Agricultural Sciences and Technology, Ho Technical University, Ghana

Abstract

The high cost of feeding poultry birds necessitates the need for alternative cheaper feed ingredient for poultry production. A 56-day feeding trail was set-up to investigate the effects of mango leaf meal in layer Guinea fowl diets on laying performance, egg quality and carcass characteristics. This study involved eighty pearl Guinea fowl layers aged 26 weeks. The birds were fed with diets containing 0, 5, 10 and 15 % mango leaf meal with four replicates in a completely randomized design. GenStat version 11.1 (2008) was used to perform the analysis at 5 % probability level. This study revealed a significant (p<0.05) reduction in feed consumption with better feed conversion ratio with increasing mango leaf meal inclusion in the diet. Egg production, hen-day egg production and egg mass significantly (p<0.05) increased with increasing levels of dietary mango leaf mean. Shell thickness and yolk weight significantly (p<0.05) reduced with increasing levels of mango leaf meal in the diet. However, shell weight, albumen weight and pH, yolk pH and Yolk colour significantly (p<0.05) increased with increasing levels of mango leaf meal in the diet. Live body weight, defeathered weight, dressed weight, thigh weight and wing weight significantly (p<0.05) increased with the inclusion of mango leaf meal in the diets. However, empty gizzard weight and liver weight significantly (p<0.05) decreased with increasing levels of mango leaf meal in the diet. This study concludes that, mango leaf meal has the potential to improve egg production and quality, and meat quality.

Keywords: mango leaves, egg characteristics, egg weight, haugh unit, meat quality

Introduction

Recent studies revealed that supplementation of leaf meal in poultry diet improves the nutritional value of the feed, animal health, immune responses and antioxidant status (Nawiri et al 2022; Uniyal et al 2022). Hence, alternative feeding strategies such as non-conventional feed ingredients increase the profitability of the animal industry. Formulating diet with the inclusion of moringa leaf meal (Poku Jnr. et al 2023), neem leaf meal (Kyere et al 2018) and mango leaf meal (Aka-Tanimo et al 2020) reduce the high cost of feeding poultry birds. Feeding poultry birds with leaf meal could partially or completely be used as a substitute for soyabean meal or wheat bran.

Mango leaf meal (MLM) is one of the promising non-conventional feed ingredient that can be used partially to replace soya bean meal and wheat bran during feed formulation (Sugiharto et al 2019). Mango leaves are abundant and available all year round. The leaf is rich in minerals, flavonoids, phytochemicals like mangiferin, unsaturated fatty acids with low levels of anti-nutritional compounds. Mango leaves have antifungal and antibacterial properties with low levels of lipid compounds (Uniyal et al 2022). The bioactive compounds present in mango leaves improved nutrient utilization and meat quality (Kumar et al 2021).

Studies have shown that incorporating mango leaf meal in poultry diets can positively impact growth performance, feed utilization (Nawiri et al 2022; Uniyal et al 2022) and laying performance (Barry et al 2019). However, in Ghana, mango leaves are regarded as waste product since consumers are only interested in the fruits and kernel. Despite the nutritive and medicinal value of mango leaf meal, there is scanty information regarding its effect on egg laying and meat quality. Hence, the focus of this study.

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of mango leaf meal in Guinea fowl diets on egg quality, carcass characteristics and sensory attributes.

Materials and methods

Study area conditions and duration

This study lasted for a period of 56 days. The average minimum and maximum temperatures recorded during the study period were 21.35 and 30.2^oC respectively (Ghana Meteorological Agency, 2024).

Harvesting of mango leaves

Fresh leaves of mango (Mangifera indicaL.) were harvested from mango farm near the study area and spread out evenly to dry under sunlight for five (5) days until the leaves were crispy to touch. The dry leaves were milled to a fine powdered state. Samples of the mango leaf meal were subjected to laboratory analysis to determine their proximate composition.

Experimental animals, feeding, treatments and design

This study involved eighty pearl Guinea fowl layers aged 26 weeks with similar body weights and kept for 56 days (8 weeks). The birds were fed with breeder diets (Table 1) containing 0, 5, 10 and 15 % mango leaf meal with four replicates in a completely randomized design. The birds were reared under similar managerial conditions. The experimental diets and clean water were supplied to the birds’ ad libitumthroughout the experimental period.

Table 1. Ingredients and feed compositions (%) of the breeder diets
Breeder diets	0% MLM	5% MLM	10% MLM	15% MLM

Mango leaf meal	0.00	5.00	10.00	15.00
Soya bean meal	17.50	12.50	7.50	2.50
Maize	57.00	57.00	57.00	57.00
Wheat bran	12.20	12.20	12.20	12.20
Tuna fish meal	10.00	10.00	10.00	10.00
Oyster shell	1.62	1.62	1.62	1.62
Dicalcium phosphate	0.56	0.56	0.56	0.56
Vitamin premix	0.56	0.56	0.56	0.56
Common salt	0.56	0.56	0.56	0.56

Parameters measured

All the attributes measured under the proximate analysis were determined based on the Association of Official Analytical Chemists (AOAC), 2005. Feed intake was recorded daily. Feed conversion ratio was computed as the feed intake divided by egg mass.

Hen-day egg production (HDEP): Hen-day egg production was determined for the daily egg production.

Parameters measured from the external egg characteristics were egg weight, shell weight and shell thickness. Egg weight was determined with an electronic weighing scale. The shells were cleaned, washed and air-dried at room temperature until a constant weight was obtained. Shell weight was calculated as the difference between the egg weight and the weights of yolk and the albumin. Shell thickness was determined from the broad end, narrow end and the middle of the shell using a micrometer screw gauge and the average of the three measurements was taken as shell thickness in millimeters. Egg diameter was determined by measuring from the center of the egg to the end point of the egg at both sides and the average was computed.

Internal egg quality traits measured include: albumen weight, albumen height, albumen pH, yolk weight, yolk height, yolk colour, yolk pH, and Haugh unit. The above mentioned internal qualities were determined by cracking and breaking gently each egg into a clean petri dish and measurements were taken with the help of a vernier caliper sensitive to 0.01 mm. The yolk and albumen were carefully separated and weighed using the electronic weighing scale. The colour of the yolk was measured using the Roach colour fun measurement, which consists of 1-15 strips ranging from pale to orange yellow in colour (Beardsworth and Hernandez, 2004) and the higher the value the yellower the yolk. Haugh unit measures the quality of the egg and it was calculated using the following formula adopted from Haugh (1937).

HU= 100 log (H– 1.7w^0.37+ 7.6)

Where, HU = Haugh Unit

H =Albumen height (mm)

W= Egg weight (g)

Carcass characteristics: Thirty-two birds aged thirty-four weeks were randomly selected and used for the carcass analysis. Eight birds from each treatment and two birds from each replicates. Each bird was weighed (live weight) using electronic balance and recorded in grammes (g) after a 24-hour feed withdrawal and tagged to differentiate them. The birds were then stuck with a sharp knife to cut the jugular veins and were allowed to bleed for approximately 60 seconds, after which they were scalded in warm water (65°C). The feathers were plucked manually and head and shanks removed. The carcass after evisceration was weighed to obtain carcass weight. An incision was then made around the vent to remove the viscera. The viscera were separated into intestines, gizzard, liver and spleen. All the primal and giblets parts were cut and weighed using electronic balance and recorded in grammes (g).

Statistical Analysis

GenStat version 11.1 was used to analyze the data collected during the conduct of this study. The average treatment means were separated using the LSD programmed in the GenStat at a 5% significant probability level. Below is the statistical model used in this study;

Y _ij = µ + α _i + e _ij

µ = The mean of the entire population

α_i= The main effect of mango leaf meal

e_ij= Is the error associated with rep k (0%, 5%, 10% and 15% MLM inclusion levels).

Results and discussion

Proximate composition of mango leaf meal

The proximate analysis results (Table 2) revealed that, the levels of ash, carbohydrates, crude fiber, crude protein, crude fat, dry matter, ether extract, nitrogen free extract, moisture and metabolizable energy recorded in this study were higher than the values reported by Ali et al (2020). However, this study finding is similar to the results of Kumar et al (2021). The differences in the proximate compositions could be attributed to the differences in the geographical locations. The compositions clearly revealed that mango leaf is suitable for feeding livestock.

Table 2. Proximate compositions of mango leaf meal
Attributes	Mango leaf meal (MLM)

Ash, %	12.61 ± 3.26
Carbohydrate, %	64.21 ± 2.88
Crude fibre, %	16.29 ± 3.34
Crude protein, %	19.56 ± 2.48
Crude fat	2.82 ± 1.22
Dry matter, %	81.49 ± 1.09
Ether extract, %	4.67 ± 1.09
Nitrogen free extracts, %	38.82 ± 4.87
Moisture, %	13.82 ± 1.19
ME, kcal/kg	2055 ± 2.31

Proximate compositions and energy levels of the experimental diets

The proximate composition of the breeder diets is shown in Table 3. Results from the proximate analysis (Table 3) revealed that the levels of ash, calcium, crude protein, moisture and phosphorus in the starter, grower and breeder diets decreased with increasing levels of mango leaf meal. However, crude fibre, ether extract and metabolizable energy levels in the diets increased with increasing levels of mango leaf meal.

Table 3. Nutrients and energy compositions (%) of the experimental diets
Breeder diets	0% MLM	5% MLM	10% MLM	15% MLM

Ash, %	5.43	5.44	5.45	5.45
Calcium, %	0.97	0.97	0.98	0.99
Crude fibre, %	3.68	3.69	3.67	3.68
Crude protein, %	16.92	16.94	16.94	16.96
Ether extract, %	4.42	4.42	4.43	4.44
Moisture, %	9.94	9.93	9.93	9.91
Phosphorus, %	0.95	0.95	0.93	0.91
ME, kcal/kg	3002	3001	3005	3006

Production performance of pearl Guinea fowl layers fed mango leaf meal

The production performance results (Table 4) revealed a significant (p<0.05) reduction in feed consumption with increasing mango leaf meal inclusion in the diet. Egg production, hen-day egg production and egg mass significantly (p<0.05) increased with increasing levels of dietary mango leaf mean. Feed conversion ratio was significantly (p<0.05) better among birds on the mango based diets as compared with birds on the control treatment (0% MLM diet).

Table 4. Production performance of the Guinea fowls fed mango leaf meal
Growth traits	Dietary mango leaf meal (MLM) inclusion levels (%)
Growth traits	0	5	10	15	SEM	p

Mean feed intake, g/bird/day	102.25^a	98.75^b	90.00^c	84.00^d	1.47	0.001
Total egg production	201.50^d	206.00^c	234.50^b	236.75^a	2.33	0.001
Average egg production, g	3.59^d	3.68^c	4.19^b	4.23^a	0.04	0.001
Hen-day egg production, %	71.96^c	73.57^b	83.75^a	84.55^a	0.83	0.001
Mean egg mass, g/bird	43.23	43.55	43.23	43.69	0.33	0.423
Mean feed conversion ratio	2.37^a	2.27^b	2.08^c	1.92^d	0.05	0.001
^abc Means bearing different superscripts in the same row are different at p<0.05. SEM= standard error of means, p = probability of main effect


Figure 1. Mango leaf meal effect egg production and feed conversion ratio

The reduction in feed intake, improved egg production and egg mass (Figure 1) with better feed conversion ratio observed in this study with increasing levels of dietary mango leaf meal could be attributed to the higher crude protein, ether extract and metabolizable energy content of the diets (Table 3) which were metabolized and used efficiently for egg production (Figure 1). The higher feed consumption, and reduction in egg production and egg mass with poor feed conversion ratio of birds fed with the control diet could be attributed to the lower crude protein, crude fibre and metabolizable energy content of the diets which may have affected nutrient digestion, absorption and proper function of the digestive organs leading to overall poor performance (Ali et al 2020; Rama et al 2019). This corresponds with the results reported by Poku Jnr. et al (2023).

Effect of mango leaf meal on egg quality

Results on egg quality presented in table 5 shows that egg shell thickness and yolk weight significantly (p<0.05) reduced with increasing levels of mango leaf meal in the diet. However, shell weight, albumen weight and pH, yolk pH and Yolk colour significantly (p<0.05) increased with increasing levels of mango leaf meal in the diet.

Table 5. Effect of mango leaf meal on egg quality
External egg quality traits	Dietary mango leaf meal (MLM) inclusion levels (%)
External egg quality traits	0	5	10	15	SEM	p

Egg weight, g	43.23	43.55	43.23	43.69	0.33	0.423
Egg diameter, mm	40.47	40.45	40.69	40.65	0.13	0.217
Shell thickness, mm	0.75^a	0.74^a	0.68^b	0.64^c	0.01	0.001
Shell weight, g	8.46^a	8.20^b	7.55^c	7.25^d	0.10	0.001
Internal egg quality traits
Albumen height, cm	4.74	4.76	4.74	4.75	0.01	0.139
Albumen weight, g	18.38^d	19.58^c	21.35^b	21.73^a	0.14	0.001
Albumen Ph	7.23	7.33	7.38	7.45	0.06	0.023
Haugh unit	73.74	73.77	73.69	73.57	0.17	0.631
Yolk height, cm	3.46	3.42	3.48	3.45	0.10	0.968
Yolk weight, g	16.39^a	15.78^b	14.33^c	14.71^c	0.29	0.001
Yolk pH	6.20^c	6.33^b	6.45^ab	6.53^a	0.08	0.006
Yolk colour	7.45^d	7.88^c	8.64^b	8.88^a	0.08	0.001
^abc Means bearing different superscripts in the same row are different at p<0.05. SEM = standard error of means, p = probability of main effect

The improvement in egg quality traits with increasing levels of mango leaf meal in the diets could be attributed to the increase in the crude protein and crude fiber contents in the mango based diets. Safa and Tazi (2014) reported that amino acids are the key factors which influence egg formation, development and production. Hence, it is not surprising that birds fed with mango leaf meal were able to lay more eggs with better egg quality attributes. Furthermore, the physiological processes occurring during egg formation, which are reflected solely in the body weight and protein nutrition. Hence, improvement in the protein levels with increasing dietary mango leaf meal will improve egg production and quality. Similary, Beghoul (2015) reported that higher levels of crude fiber increase the size of the digestive tract organs of layers leading to higher egg production.

Effect of mango leaf meal on carcass characteristics

Live body weight, defeathered weight, dressed weight, thigh weight and wing weight significantly (p<0.05) increased with the inclusion of mango leaf meal in the diets. However, empty gizzard weight and liver weight were significantly (p<0.05) higher among birds on the control treatment as compared with birds subjected to mango leaf meal inclusion in the diet. The significant differences observed could be attributed to the increased in the levels of proteins, minerals and vitamins due to the inclusion of mango leaf meal in the diet. Similar findings were reported by Essien et al (2022).

Table 6. Effect of mango leaf meal on carcass characteristics
Carcass characteristics	Dietary mango leaf meal (MLM) inclusion levels (%)
Carcass characteristics	0	5	10	15	SEM	p

Live body weight, g	1469.52^d	1489.01^c	1542.82^b	1582.22^a	5.75	0.001
Bled weight, g	1396.50	1399.51	1417.52	1419.82	12.98	0.218
Defeathered weight, g	1268.81^d	1287.51^c	1313.02^b	1354.00^a	4.08	0.001
Dressed weight, g	1134.02^d	1155.02^c	1187.52^b	1194.52^a	5.92	0.001
Dressing, %	73.45	73.52	73.86	73.44	0.46	0.784
Primal cuts
Breast weight, g	264.25	264.25	265.00	265.50	1.05	0.581
Drumstick weight, g	56.55	56.50	56.88	56.52	0.49	0.855
Head weight, g	46.50	44.73	44.09	44.38	2.03	0.644
Neck weight, g	61.61	61.86	62.01	62.38	0.83	0.825
Shank weight, g	14.01	13.95	14.10	14.04	0.39	0.984
Thigh weight, g	65.97^c	74.97^b	77.50^b	82.72^a	0.73	0.001
Wing weight, g	61.48^d	65.68^c	69.28^b	72.31^a	0.74	0.001
Giblets traits
Crop weight, g	11.25	11.01	11.22	11.43	0.29	0.590
Empty gizzard weight, g	30.82^a	27.46^b	24.64^c	24.63^c	0.67	0.001
Heart weight, g	8.29	8.35	8.28	8.33	0.06	0.550
Intestine weight, g	39.30	39.94	38.99	39.75	0.44	0.182
Liver weight, g	20.39^a	18.73^b	16.66^c	16.40^c	0.26	0.001
^abc Means bearing different superscripts in the same row are different at p<0.05. SEM = standard error of means, p = probability of main effect

Conclusions

This study concludes that inclusion of mango leaf meal in Guinea fowls diet improve body weight and feed conversion ability. Furthermore, mango leaf meal supplementation in the diet of Guinea fowls improve egg production and quality.

Acknowledgement

The authors are grateful to Mr. Kwabena Boateng, the CEO of "God is Coming" Poultry Farm (Dawu-Jamasi, Ashanti Region) who whole heartedly gave his farm and related facilities to carry out this study.

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