Farinha de folhas de amoreira (Morus sp.) na alimentação de galinhas poedeiras criadas em sistema livre de gaiolas

Abstract

The use of natural pigments, such as mulberry leaf flour (MLF), has attracted attention as sustainable additive for laying hen diets. This is due to their effect they have on egg yolk color, an important sensory factor that helps consumers evaluate egg quality and its potential health benefits. In light of these observations, this study has the objective of evaluating the performance and egg yolk color of commercial laying hens in a free-range system, fed diets containing MLF. A total of 240 commercial Hisex Brown laying hens, 25 weeks of age, raised in a cage-free system, were used. The hens were three different diets: control diet (CD) based on corn and soybean meal, CD with two levels of MLF (0.75 and 1.50%) and four replicates (paddocks) of 20 laying hens each. The performance of the hens was evaluated in terms of egg production (EPD), egg weight (EW), feed intake (FI) and feed conversion ratio (FCR). Egg yolk color was also evaluated using the colorimetric fan. The evaluations were conducted in three periods of 21 days each, for a total of 63 experimental days. There was no interaction between the evaluation period and the MLF levels (p > 0.05). The EPD, EW and FCR variables did not show any changes with the use of MLF (p > 0.05). There was a significant difference in FI with the inclusion of MLF (p < 0.05), with the hens fed with MLF having a higher FI compared to the CD group without MLF. Egg yolk color was influenced by the inclusion of MLF in the diets, with an interaction between the level of MLF inclusion and the evaluation period (p < 0.05). At 21 and 63 days, the 0.75% and 1.50% inclusion levels of MLF showed the same pigmentation capacity, demonstrating that even the lowest inclusion level already provides sufficient pigment to intensify egg yolk color. MLF can be used in the nutrition of commercial laying hens in a cage-free system to maintain performance and improve with egg yolk color.