Growth Performance and Fatty Acid Profiles of Ducks Fed a Diet Supplemented with Aronia (Aronia Melanocarpa) Powder

ABSTRACT The present study evaluated the effects of aronia powder on growth performance and fatty acid profiles of ducks. A total of 90 ducks (one-day-old pekin, 48 males and 42 females) were distributed according to a completely randomized design into two treatments (control and 1% aronia powder) with 3 replicates of 15 birds per pen for 42 d. Apart from the feed:gain ratio, the other growth performance parameters, including initial body weight, final body weight, weight gain, and feed intake, did not differ significantly between treatments (p>0.05). In addition, there was no significant difference (p>0.05) in fatty acid profiles between treatments. However, oleic acid (C18:1), linoleic acid (C18:2), and polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) were significantly different (p<0.05) between treatments. Our results revealed that feeding ducks with 1% aronia powder improved the weight gained and the feed:gain ratio, but did not affect the fatty acid profiles of duck breast meat.