The effectiveness of the impact of extruded amaranth grain on productivity, egg quality, antioxidant status and lipid profile of blood and yolk cholesterol of layer eggs

Purpose. To establish the effect of extruded amaranth grain (Amaranthus hybridus chlorostachys) with the addition of a complex of enzymes on egg productivity, the quality of food eggs, including the presence of cholesterol in the yolk, and the level of antioxidant status of laying hens. Materials and Мethods. When performing the work, both conventional research methods and modern instrumental, zootechnical, biochemical, and chemical methods were used, which were carried out in certified laboratories. The resulting digital material was processed using the Microsoft Excel statistical package, the reliability of the data was checked using the Student's t-test. Results. Amaranth, as a valuable source of nutrients, has the potential to meet the nutritional requirements of poultry. According to the data obtained, feeding amaranth to laying hens, either alone or in combination with a multi-enzyme complex, can lead to the production of food eggs with a low cholesterol content without any negative impact on their quality. In parallel, the antioxidant status and the atherogenic index (LDL/HDL) of birds are improving. In addition, feeding amaranth with enzyme supplements led to an increase in the productivity of laying hens. Conclusion. In general, the results of our study show that feeding amaranth grain favorably affects the health parameters of laying hens by improving antioxidant status, as well as lowering cholesterol, LDL and triglycerides, while increasing blood HDL levels. It should be noted that the indicators of productivity and quality of eggs improve when a multi-enzyme complex is included in the diet containing amaranth grains at a dose of 250 g/t of feed. The high content of crude protein in amaranth grain and the presence in it of substances with antioxidant activity make it possible to use it as a feed agent in industrial poultry farming. It is known that egg yolk cholesterol determines the nutritional value of the product. Our studies have proven a positive trend in lowering cholesterol levels: when using 10% extruded amaranth grain in the compound feed – by 6.87%, and with the additional inclusion of an enzyme complex – by 9.86%.