The use of cinnamon powder in the diet of Japanese laying quail

ABSTRACT. The objective of this study was to evaluate the inclusion of powder cinnamon in the diet of Japanese quails, regarding their performance and egg quality. A total of 360 quails, 18 weeks old, were distributed in a completely randomized design with five treatments and six replicates of 12 animals. The experimental period lasted 84 days. The treatments were the inclusion of 0; 3.0; 6.0; 9.0 and 12.0 g kg-1 of cinnamon powder in the diet. The performance and quality of eggs produced were evaluated. A sensorial analysis of the eggs was carried out to evaluate the color of the egg yolk, the taste of the egg and the purchase intention. There was no significant effect on the performance and egg quality variables, except for the specific gravity and color of the yolk, which increased linearly. The evaluators presented a higher intention to purchase eggs from the treatment with 6g kg-1 of cinnamon addition in the diet. We concluded that the inclusion of 12.0 g kg-1 of cinnamon powder in the diet for laying quail does not affect the performance and the taste of the eggs, nevertheless, this level of inclusion provides an improvement in the specific gravity and color of the yolk.

摘要。本研究旨在评估日粮中添加肉桂粉对日本鹌鹑（Japanese quail）生产性能与蛋品质的影响。试验选取360只18周龄的日本鹌鹑，采用完全随机试验设计，设置5个处理组，每组设6个重复，每个重复12只鹌鹑，试验周期为84天。各处理组日粮分别添加0、3.0、6.0、9.0及12.0 g·kg⁻¹的肉桂粉。试验测定了受试鹌鹑的生产性能与所产鸡蛋的品质，并开展鸡蛋感官评定，以评估蛋黄颜色、鸡蛋风味及消费者购买意愿。结果显示，除蛋比重与蛋黄颜色呈线性升高外，肉桂粉添加对鹌鹑生产性能及其余蛋品质指标均无显著影响；评定者对日粮添加6.0 g·kg⁻¹肉桂粉组所产鸡蛋的购买意愿更高。本研究得出结论：产蛋鹌鹑日粮中添加12.0 g·kg⁻¹肉桂粉，不会影响鹌鹑生产性能与鸡蛋风味，但可提升蛋比重与蛋黄颜色。