The effect of different levels of vitamin C on performance, carcass characteristics, digestive organs, immunity, blood parameters, liver enzymes, cecal microflora, evaluation of meat taste and fatty acid profile of breast meat of broilers

The objective of this experiment was to investigate vitamin C on performance, carcass characteristics, digestive organs, immunity, blood parameters, liver enzymes, cecal microflora, evaluation of meat taste and fatty acid profile of Arbor Acres commercial strain broilers. The study was based on a completely randomized design 120 one -day-old male broilers with three various levels of vitamin C (0, 250 and 500 mg/kg diet) and four replicates of10 chicks in each repetition for 42 days. Data were analyzed with SPSS statistical software, and to determine the effective of different levels of vitamin C, polynomial contrast test was performed. In the whole period, no statistical difference was observed between the treatment groups in feed consumption, weight gain and feed conversion ratio (P>0.05). Carcass and intestinal characteristics was not affected by vitamin C (P>0.05), except for the relative weight of breast by adding 250 mg/kg vitamin C (P<0.05). Vitamin C was not affected on blood parameters, except HDL and total cholesterol were increased at 250 mg/kg level. Creatine phosphokinase and lactate dehydrogenase in broilers receiving experimental treatments decreased by higher levels of vitamin C in the diet (P<0.05). The results showed that the comparison of the average amount of white and red blood cells, hemoglobin, HTC, MCV, MCH and MCHC were not affected by different levels of vitamin C in the diet (P>0.05). The percentage of lymphocytes and heterophils were affected by different levels of vitamin C (P<0.05). The amount of antibody titer against Newcastle virus, influenza, SRBC and or-gans related to the immune system were not affected by experimental treatments (P>0.05), however relative weight of bursa was increased in broilers fed vitamin C (P<0.05). Also, color, general acceptance, elasticity and chewing ability of breast meat were different in all three treatment groups (P<0.05). The effect of vitamin C on the fatty acid profile of breast meat showed C12:0 was unchanged in the 3 treatment groups, but C14:0, C16:0, C18:0, C18:3 decreased with increasing consumption of vitamin C. According to these results, using250 mg/kg of vitamin C inbroilers diet of the Arbor Acresstrain may have potential economic benefits.