Dietary enzymatically treated Artemisia annua L. improves meat quality, antioxidant capacity and energy status of breast muscle in heat‐stressed broilers

Abstract BACKGROUND Heat stress (HS) is detrimental to animal‐origin food production. Artemisia annua L., a natural source of phenolic compounds and flavonoids, exhibits antioxidant properties. This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of dietary enzymatically treated Artemisia annua L. (EA) supplementation on meat quality, antioxidant capacity, and energy status of breast muscle in heat‐stressed broilers. RESULTS The inclusion of EA increased the redness, reduced drip loss, decreased reactive oxygen metabolites and thiobarbituric acid‐reactive substances, increased antioxidant enzyme activities, and reduced the ferric reducing antioxidant power and free‐radical scavenging abilities of breast muscle in heat‐treated broilers. Dietary EA supplementation increased adenosine phosphate concentrations and energy charge, and decreased the mRNA expression levels of heat‐shock protein 70 and 90, but increased the mRNA expression levels of avian uncoupling protein, peroxisome proliferator‐activated receptor‐γ coactivator‐1α, and sirtuin 1 in the breast muscle of broilers exposed to HS. CONCLUSION Dietary EA supplementation improved meat quality, antioxidant capacity, and energy status in breast muscle of heat‐stressed broilers, which might be associated with altering pertinent mRNA expression; EA could therefore be used as a promising feed additive to mitigate HS in the poultry industry. This study recommended 1.00–1.25 g/kg EA in broiler diet. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry