Effects of partial replacement of soybean meal with hemp seed (Cannabis sativa L.) cake on the growth and meat quality in female three-yellow chickens

Qin He; Zongyao Zhang; Hao Tian; Haopeng Wang; Xiaoyu Lu; Hexuan Deng; Fujian Yang; Xuemei Tang; Jian Wang; Zhipeng Li; Hui Li; Shuibao Shen; Yangqing Lu; Jieping Huang

doi:10.1016/j.psj.2024.104466

Effects of partial replacement of soybean meal with hemp seed (Cannabis sativa L.) cake on the growth and meat quality in female three-yellow chickens

Poult Sci. 2024 Nov 10;104(1):104466. doi: 10.1016/j.psj.2024.104466. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Qin He¹, Zongyao Zhang², Hao Tian¹, Haopeng Wang¹, Xiaoyu Lu¹, Hexuan Deng¹, Fujian Yang³, Xuemei Tang³, Jian Wang¹, Zhipeng Li¹, Hui Li¹, Shuibao Shen¹, Yangqing Lu¹, Jieping Huang⁴

Affiliations

¹ State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-Bioresources, Guangxi Key Laboratory of Animal Breeding, Disease Control and Prevention, Guangxi University, Nanning, Guangxi, 530005, China.
² State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-Bioresources, Guangxi Key Laboratory of Animal Breeding, Disease Control and Prevention, Guangxi University, Nanning, Guangxi, 530005, China; Guangxi Shenhuang Breeding Group Co. Ltd., Yulin, Guangxi, 537000, China.
³ Guangxi Shenhuang Breeding Group Co. Ltd., Yulin, Guangxi, 537000, China.
⁴ State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-Bioresources, Guangxi Key Laboratory of Animal Breeding, Disease Control and Prevention, Guangxi University, Nanning, Guangxi, 530005, China. Electronic address: huangjieping@gxu.edu.cn.

PMID: 39571197
DOI: 10.1016/j.psj.2024.104466

Abstract

Hemp seed cake (HSC) (Cannabis sativa L.) is a high-quality plant-derived protein source rich in polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA). To assess the effects of HSC addition in diets on the growth and meat quality in broiler chicken, a total of 240 female three-yellow chickens (50 days of age) were randomly assigned to four groups and fed with varying levels of HSC (0% (HSC0), 5% (HSC5), 10% (HSC10), and 20% (HSC20)) for 9 weeks. As a result, the daily feed intake, weight gain and feed conversion efficiency were significantly increased in the HSC20 group. Moreover, the meat quality traits, including the meat colour, water-holding capacity, intramuscular fat content, and proportion of n-3 PUFA significantly improved, and the expression of lipid synthesis genes, were increased in the HSC20 group. Meanwhile, the development of immune organs and the anti-inflammatory capabilities were enhanced in the HSC20 group. In addition, the blood lipid of chicken was reduced by improving the lipid metabolism in the HSC20 group. Therefore, adding 20% HSC in the feed had a notable effect on the growth, antioxidant and immune capabilities, blood lipid metabolism, and meat performance of the female three-yellow chickens. These findings provide significant information for improving the production performance of broiler chickens through the effective utilization of HSC.

Keywords: Growth performance; Hemp seed cake; Meat quality; Soybean meal reduction substitution; Three-yellow chicken.