EFFECT OF PROCESSING METHODS AND ORGANIC ACID (FYSAL®) SUPPLEMENTATION ON THE FEEDING VALUE OF Balanites aegyptiaca FRUIT MEAL BY BROILER CHICKENS
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.33003/fjs-2026-1001-4385Keywords:
Balanites aegyptiaca, Broiler Chickens, Organic Acidifier, Growth Performance, Economic BenefitAbstract
The high cost and competition for conventional feed ingredients necessitate the exploration of alternative plant resources in poultry nutrition. The study evaluated the effects of processed Balanites aegyptiaca fruit meal (BAFM) supplemented with an organic acid blend (FYSAL®) on proximate composition, anti-nutritional factors, growth performance, and economic efficiency of broiler chickens. Raw B. aegyptiaca fruits were processed by soaking (24 hr), boiling (15 min), and roasting (15 min) and analyzed for proximate composition and anti-nutritional factors using standard procedures. One hundred and eighty (180) Cobb-500 broiler finisher chickens were randomly allotted to four dietary treatments (15 chickens per replicate) containing 0.0, 2.5, 5.0, and 7.5% soaked BAFM, with organic acid supplementation at 0.1% for the test diets, in a completely randomized design. Soaking significantly improved crude protein content (20.01%) and reduced tannin (68.13%), oxalate (74.58%), phytic acid (38.00%), and saponin (20.69%) levels compared with the raw fruit. Birds fed 5.0% BAFM recorded significantly higher (P<0.05) final body weight compared with the control, while weight gain, feed intake, and feed conversion ratio were not significantly affected (P>0.05). Feed cost per kilogram weight gain was lowest at 5.0% BAFM inclusion, indicating improved economic efficiency. The study concluded that soaked Balanites aegyptiaca fruit meal supplemented with organic acid can be included up to 7.5% in broiler finisher diets without adverse effects, with optimal biological and economic performance observed at 5.0% inclusion.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Idris Abdullahi, Collins U. Idachaba, A. G. Zungum, Peter Nandur Kurdor, H. Idris, S. Silas, B. M. Yilwatda
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