Article
Potential Use of Pumpkin (CucurbitaSpp.) Waste as Low Cost Alternative Feed to Enhance Productivity and Meat Quality in Broilers
K. R. Sriranga*1, K. R. Harini2, Prachurya Biswaland2 and Tejeshwari Satpute1
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Abstract There is an immediate necessity for the utilization of the unconventional feed resources in the livestock feed to reduce the competition between humans and animals for the feed resources. The agricultural and horticultural residues can be effectively used as low cost feed alternatives for poultry among which pumpkin has shown many proven benefits. Inclusion of pumpkin waste in the poultry diet has beneficial effects on appetite, growth and the immune status of the birds along with few therapeutic benefits. The natural antioxidants and bioactive compounds present in the pumpkin residue may enhance the meat quality, and also improves the general health and well-being of chickens. Keywords: Broiler feeding, Low cost feeding, Meat quality, Pumpkin waste Introduction Pumpkin is a popular vegetable grown in India during Kharif and summer season. India is the second largest producer of Pumpkin contributing to 18.8% of the global production (FAOSTAT, 2017). Pumpkin/ Squash/ Gourd (Cucurbita spp.) belongs to Cucurbitaceae family which includes 118 genera and 825 species (Lira and Caballero, 2002). Many varieties of pumpkins are cultivated across India among which Cucurbita maxima species is widely cultivated. Pumpkin
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Livestock Production ManagementDivision, National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal, Haryana-132001, India
Livestock Production ManagementDivision, Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Izatnagar, Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh-243122, India *Corresponding author: srirangabvsc@gmail.com
fruit is a good source of carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, pigments, phenolic acids, and flavonols (Kulczyński and Gramza-Michałowska, 2019); and seeds are rich in protein and fatty acids (Kimet al., 2012).Pumpkins have been described to have medicinal and pharmacological properties also. In traditional medicine pumpkin is used for relieving diverse disturbances such as hypertension, arthritis, hyperglycemia, inflammation, dyslipidemia, fungal or bacterial infections, tumors, and intestinal parasites. The cull pumpkins (waste pumpkins in field), fruit pulp, seeds, seed meal and oil extracted from seeds can be used as animal feed (depicted in Fig-1).Pumpkin feeding in animals is beneficial due to their high antioxidant content and polyunsaturated fatty acids (Bardaaet al., 2016). The broiler diet enriched with pumpkin waste strongly affects the levels of triglycerides, cholesterol, low density lipoproteins, and high density lipoproteins in blood (Martinez et al., 2012). Humans can obtain αtocopherol and ß-carotene through the consumption of meat of birds fed with pumpkin seed meal (Daleyet al., 2010). In humans, a diet rich in carotenes improves the immune response and reduces the risk of degenerative diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular diseases, atherosclerosis, cataracts, and age-related muscular degeneration ( J a c o b o - Va l e n z u e l a e t a l . ,
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2011).Inclusion of pumpkin waste as a partial replacement for soya bean meal (SBM) in broilers diet can be advantageous with enhanced productivity and better meat quality.
Fig-1. Cull pumpkin, pulp and seeds for feeding various livestock species Inclusion of pumpkin waste in broiler diet to enhance productive performance Pumpkin wastes are being used for feeding several livestock species viz., ruminants, equines, poultr y etc. traditionally on a small scale. Enhancement of productivity by feeding pumpkin wastes are attributed to high protein and fat content of seeds, and high carbohydrate, vitamins, and minerals content of fruit. Feeding of pumpkin waste is thought to improve the feed intake by stimulating olfactory receptors and taste buds (Panda et al., 2009). In addition, high sugar content of pumpkin also enhances feed intake by improving the palatability of feed (Haliket al., 2014). Higher feed intake was observed in broiler diets included with pumpkin seed meal due to enhanced flavors by presence of unsaturated fats (Aguilaret al., 2011). Enhanced feed intake and higher levels of unsaturated fats in the diet of broilers
Poultry Planner | Vol. 23 | No.05 | May - 2021
