Impact of the inclusion of orange peel fragment (Citrus sinensis) in the diet of broiler chickens under cyclic heat stress on performance and intestinal health.

• Grant number: 24/22063-9
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: June 01, 2025
• End date: May 31, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Animal Husbandry - Animal Nutrition and Feeding
• Principal Investigator: José Roberto Sartori
• Grantee: Luana Araujo Santana
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia (FMVZ). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Botucatu. Botucatu , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Over the decades, chicken meat has become increasingly sought after by the brazilian population. However, due to climate changes, the complexity of poultry production has increased in Brazil, mainly due to the occurrence of heat stress caused by climate change, which affects productivity, health and the well-being of the poultry. Nutritional alternatives are being studied to enhance the broiler's tolerance to heat, such as the use of phytogenic additives. Therefore, the aim of this study is to analyze the effects of the inclusion of frit (outer epicarp of orange peel) on the performance, relative organs weight and intestinal morphometry when used as an additive in the diet of broiler chickens exposed to cyclic heat stress. A total of 216 one-day-old Cobb® 500 chicks will be housed and distributed in a completely randomized design in a factorial arrangement 2x2, with two climate chambers (thermoneutral and cyclic heat stress) and two levels of frit inclusion (0.00% and 0.65% of frit), with nine replications of six broiler each, totaling four treatments. The feed intake, weight gain, feed conversion rate, viability, production efficiency index, relative organs weight, intestine length and intestinal morphometry will be analyzed.