Effect of aloe preparation on the level of biochemical indices of blood and tissue composition of female turkeys

The aim of this study was to establish the effect of an aloe preparation administered to drinking water for turkey hens on levels of biochemical indices of their blood and chemical composition of their tissues. The study was conducted with 160 turkey hens of medium-heavy BUT 9 type divided into four experimental groups. Each group included 40 turkey hens (two replications, 20 birds each). The birds were kept since the 6th till the 16th weeks of life in pens, on straw litter. Group I served as the control (A-O), where the birds received drinking water without experimental additives. The turkey hens from experimental groups (A-1, A-2, A-3) received an aloe preparation with drinking water. The preparation was dosed as follows: 0.35 ml/kg b.w./day in group A-1, 0.70 ml/kg b.w./day in group A-2, and 1.40 ml/kg b.w./day in group A-3. The analyzed preparation was administered to the birds in drinking water for 28 days. After four weeks of its administration, a two-week break was made in supplementation, during which the turkey hens of all groups received only pure water. After this break, the birds were again administered the aloe preparation in identical doses as at the beginning of the experiment. At the end of weeks 4, 6 and 10 of observation, blood was sampled from the brachial vein of the birds for biochemical analyses that included determinations of: AST, ALT, ALP, TP, GLU, CHOL, HDL, TG, and macroelements (K+, Na+, Ca+2, Mg+2). After completed rearing (16th week of life), the birds were slaughtered and simplified dissection was performed. Chemical composition of meat was determined in samples of breast, thigh, shank muscles and in liver. The obtained results demonstrate that the addition of various doses of the aloe preparation affected a decrease in cholesterol level and activities of AST, ALT and ALP enzymes, and an increase in the HDL fraction of cholesterol in blood of the birds. It additionally resulted in a diminished blood level of phosphorus and an increased calcium concentration in tissues. The applied addition of aloe was also observed to influence the chemical composition of muscles and liver of turkey hens, as it reduced the content of dry matter and protein in leg tissues and the content of fat in liver.