Effect of high concentrations of dietary vitamin e during various age periods on performance, plasma vitamin e and meat stability of broiler chicks at 7 weeks of age

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Abstract
1. The effect of high concentrations of vitamin E (α‐tocopheryl acetate) fed during various age periods on the performance and the oxidative stability (thiobarbituric acid [TBA] values) of the drumstick meat of 7‐week‐old broiler chicks was determined. The basal diets (for the age periods 0 to 3, 3 to 6 and 6 to 7 weeks) contained 60 g soyabean oil and 24 mg vitamin E/kg. The following five treatments were evaluated: (1) the basal diets from 0 to 7 weeks of age (control); (2) vitamin E, 100 mg/kg diet from 0 to 7 weeks of age; (3) vitamin E, 150 mg/kg diet from 0 to 3 weeks of age; (4) vitamin E, 150 mg/kg diet from 0 to 3 weeks of age and 100 mg/kg diet from 6 to 7 weeks of age; (5) vitamin E, 100 mg/kg diet from 5 to 7 weeks of age. 2. Food intake, weight gain and food efficiency were not significantly (P>0.05) affected by the vitamin E treatments. 3. Plasma α‐tocopherol (AT) concentrations in treatments 2, 4 and 5 were similar, and markedly higher than those in treatments 1 and 3, while those of treatment 3 were significantly (P0.05) affected by the vitamin E treatments. 4. TBA values of the meat were very low and not significantly affected by the vitamin E treatments. However, after incubation the TBA values were highly significantly (PPP<0.001) lower than that of birds which received vitamin E continuously (treatment 2). 5. It is concluded that a high concentration of vitamin E fed during 0 to 3 weeks of age may significantly improve AT status of the broiler chick up to 7 weeks of age.