The Impact of Fortification of Broiler Chicks Meat with Chromium Methionine on Growth Performance, Meat Lipid Oxidation, Antioxidative Status, and Immune Response under High Ambient Temperature

The objective of the current study was to investigate the impacts of dietary chromium methionine (CrMet) supplementation on growth performance, carcass traits, meat quality, meat lipid oxidation, antioxidative properties, and immune responsiveness of broiler chicks under high ambient temperature. A total of 300 1-d-old, unsexed broiler chicks (Cobb 500) were randomly allocated into 4 experimental treatments with 5 replicates (n = 15 birds/pen). The four experimental treatments were: (1) control (the basal diet without CrMet addition); (2) basal diet + 200 µg CrMet/ kg; (3) basal diet + 400 µg CrMet/ kg; and (4) basal diet + 800 µg CrMet/ kg. Dietary CrMet supplementation significantly enhanced growth performance in broilers subjected to heat stress conditions. Chicks fed 400 and 800 µg CrMet/ kg exhibited the lowest abdominal fat. Breast meat Cr content was increased progressively with higher levels of CrMet in the diet. Dietary 400 and 800 µg CrMet/ kg decreased the raw meat's lipid oxidation index (thiobarbituric acid reactive substance, TBARS) at 1-, 3-, and 6-days postmortem. Interestingly, addition of CrMet in the diets improved serum concentrations of total antioxidant capacity, glutathione peroxidase, superoxide dismutase, and antibody titers against Newcastle disease virus and reduced serum concentrations of malondialdehyde, glucose, triglycerides, total cholesterol, and uric acid in broilers raised under high ambient temperature. In conclusion, dietary CrMet (400–800 µg/kg) enhanced growth performance, meat Cr content, meat oxidative stability, serum antioxidative properties, and humoral-mediated immunity in broiler chicks subjected to heat stress conditions, suggesting its potential as a heat stress mitigant in poultry production.