Effects of pomegranate peel powder on growth performance,slaughter performance,intestinal development,and serum antioxidant indexes of ducklings

CHEN Min; LIU Zhiwei; HE Min; LI Xiaotian; HE Shuhai; DONG Jianguo; HU Jianxin

doi:10.13557/j.cnki.issn1002-2813.2025.01.013

Abstract：The study aimed to investigate the effects of pomegranate peel powder on the growth performance,slaughter performance,intestinal development,and serum antioxidant indexes of ducklings.A total of 320 seven-day-old Huainan mottled ducks were randomly divided into four groups,with eight replicates per group and 10 ducklings per replicate.The control group was fed a basic diet,while the Ⅰ,Ⅱ,and Ⅲ groups were supplemented with 0.5％,1.0％,and 2.0％pomegranate peel powder in the basic diet,respectively.The test period was 28 days.The results showed that compared to the control group,the final weight,average daily weight gain,and semi-eviscerated rate of ducklings in the treatment Ⅲgroup were significantly increased(P＜0.05).Compared to the control group,the organ index,villus height,and villus/crypt ratio of the duodenum and jejunum in ducklings of the treatment Ⅲ group were significantly increased(P＜0.05),while the crypt depth was significantly reduced(P＜0.05).The villus height and villus/crypt ratio of the ileum in ducklings of the treatment Ⅲ group were significantly increased(P＜0.05).The organ index,villus height,and villus/crypt ratio of the jejunum in ducklings of the treatment Ⅱ group were significantly increased(P＜0.05),while the crypt depth was significantly reduced(P＜0.05).Compared to the control group,the total antioxidant capacity(T-AOC)and glutathione peroxidase(GSH-Px)activity in the serum of ducklings in the treatment Ⅱ and m groups were significantly increased(P＜0.05),and the malondialdehyde(MDA)content in the serum of ducklings in all treatment groups was significantly reduced(P＜0.05).The study indicates that the addition of pomegranate peel powder in the diet can effectively improve the growth performance,slaughter performance,and antioxidant capacity of ducklings,promote the intestinal development of ducklings,with the optimal addition level being 2.0％.