Abdur Rahman
University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Pakistan
Title: Effect of Mentha piperita (peppermint) extract and its juice on egg quality traits during different storage times in laying hens
Biography
Biography: Abdur Rahman
Abstract
Statement of the Problem: To prevent the egg quality losses during storage times, the use of herbal products could be a useful tool in the industry. Much focus has been given on the use of herbs and herbal products to improve performance and to some extent on the quality in freshly laid eggs but limited research data are available for the impact of herbs on the storage quality of eggs. The present study was designed to evaluate the effect of Mentha piperita oil and mentha juice in feed and drinking water respectively, egg quality traits in laying hens at different storage time.
Methodology & Theoretical Orientation: A total of 252 Babcock laying hens were divided into 7 groups and each group was divided into 4 subgroups having 9 hens in each. Group A served as a control. Group A was fed basal diet without any supplementation. Group B, C and D were offered diets supplemented with mentha extract at 50, 100 and 200 mg/kg of feed while groups E, F and G diets were having same doses of mentha juice in drinking water. At the end of the study (56 days), a total of 252 eggs (36 eggs from each group) were collected randomly. 84 eggs were analyzed at zero day of storage while other eggs were stored at 4°C temperatures. Among these eggs, 84 were analyzed after 15 days and remaining 84 after 30 days of storage.
Findings: The results revealed that egg quality traits like egg shell breaking strength (ESBS), yolk color (YC), haugh unit (HU) and egg weight showed non-significant difference (P>0.05) among all the groups at different storage time periods.
Conclusion & Significance: Supplementation of mentha extract and its juice has no impact on egg quality parameters during various storage conditions.