Effect of feeding velvet beans ( Mucuna pruriens ) on the lipid profile of broiler chickens

The effect of feeding velvet bean ( Mucuna pruriens ) meal on the lipid profile in broilers was investigated. Two hundred, 14 days old broiler chicks were randomly allocated to five dietary treatments in a completely randomized design and feeding continued for four weeks. Maize and soybean meal based control feed and four test diets prepared from the control feed by incorporating velvet beans at 10, 15, 20 and 25% levels served as five dietary treatments. Feed intake was unaffected by velvet beans. Serum total cholesterol level was lowered by 9.5, 9.7, 15 and 16% in birds fed with 10, 15, 20 and 25% velvet bean diets. Birds fed 25% VB diet showed an increase in HDL level by 8%. LDL level was lowered by 43.1, 36.5, 25 and 23.4%, respectively in birds fed with 25, 20, 15 and 10% velvet beans. Velvet beans reduced the serum triglyceride levels. Results suggest that Velvet beans contain a strong cholesterol lowering effect in broilers. Key words: Velvet beans; broilers; cholesterol DOI: 10.4038/suslj.v7i1.1845 Sabaragamuwa University Journal vol. 07 no.1, 2007 pp 78-85