Original Article ISSN 0101-2061 (Print)

Food Science and Technology ISSN 1678-457X (Online)

DOI: https://doi.org/10.5327/fst.116122

Marine macroalgae as an alternative in the feeding of

broiler quails in an environment of thermal stress
Airton Gonçalves de OLIVEIRA1 , Dermeval Araújo FURTADO1 , Neila Lidiany RIBEIRO2* ,
Jordânio Inácio MARQUES3 , Patrício Gomes LEITE3 , Nágela Maria Henrique MASCARENHAS1 ,
Ricardo de Sousa SILVA1 , Karoline Carvalho DORNELAS4 , Raimundo Calixto Martins RODRIGUES5 ,
Alícia Nayana dos Santos Lima de BRITO1 , Vitória Régia do Nascimento LIMA1 , John Edson CHIODI1

Abstract
The objective of this research was to evaluate the productive performance, carcass quality, and intestinal biometry of European
quails (Coturnix coturnix coturnix), kept under cyclic heat stress (air temperature of 32.5°C±0.5) receiving a ration with
different concentrations (0, 2.5, 5, and 7.5%) of seaweed meal of Sargassum sp. A total of 240 quails were used, distributed in a
completely randomized design with 4 levels of bran inclusion, 6 replications, and 10 birds per experimental unit. An analysis
of variance (ANOVA) was performed, and the means were compared by Tukey’s test with 5% probability and subjected to
regression by PROC REG of SAS® (2002). No similarity was observed in water and feed consumption between treatments.
There was a significant difference in most of the variables studied, with a significant difference only occurring in the dorsum,
gizzard, and large intestine. Therefore, it is recommended to include up to 7.5% of sargassum bran in the diet of European
quails kept under a 12-h heat cycle (32°C±0.5).
Keywords: Coturnix coturnix coturnix; animal environment; alternative feeding; seaweed.
Practical Application: In the quail breed as a means of supplement replacing antibiotics.

1. Introduction et al., 2022). The genus Sargassum is a brown seaweed of tropical

and subtropical origin, comprising 150 species (Olabarria et al.,
Coturniculture is an activity that presents a quick economic 2009), exhibiting good antioxidant activities (Idu & Seenivasan,
return, where quails have high productivity, low food consump- 2013), and may contribute to reducing the cholesterol content
tion, fast growth, double productive aptitude, and need little of quail eggs and improving yolk color (Carrillo et al., 2012).
space for their creation (Guimarães et al., 2014), food being one
of the highest costs of production in the activity. Seaweeds usually originate from natural sources of biomass
found in various marine environments, have a good amount of
One of the alternatives to maintaining production and nutrients in their composition, and can be used as additives or
profitability in poultry production is the use of alternative part of the composition of the animal diet (Hafsa et al., 2019;
foods (Ferreira et al., 2019; Nnadi et al., 2022) and among these Alfaia et al., 2021), improving the health and performance of
foods, seaweed stands out (Øverland et al., 2019; Michalak & birds in addition to increasing the quality of meat and eggs
Mahrose, 2020), such as green (Abudabos et al., 2013; Matsho- (Hajati & Zaghari, 2019), as they are rich sources of bioactive
go et al., 2020), red (Kulshreshtha et al., 2014), brown (Hafsa compounds (Michalak & Mahrose, 2020), contributing to the
et al., 2019), green, Sargassum (Hafsa & Hassan, 2022), and reduction of thermal stress in quails kept in environments with
Spirulina (Abouelezz, 2017), estimating that about 187 species high temperatures (Hajati et al., 2020).
of seaweed can be used for animal consumption, including 45
High temperatures, as they occur in arid and semi-arid re-
green, 35 brown, and 107 red algae (Shabaka, 2018).
gions, especially during the day, can cause metabolic, endocrine,
The use of natural extracts and algae-based products in diets and behavioral changes, such as increased water consumption
can improve the growth, reproduction, and immunity of birds and reduced food consumption (Furtado et al., 2022), as a way
and may be an alternative to probiotics and antibiotics (Arif to reduce endogenous heat production due to the thermogenic

Received 16 Nov., 2022.

Accepted 20 Feb., 2023.
1
Universidade Federal de Campina Grande, Campina Grande, PB, Brazil.
2
Instituto Nacional do Semiárido, Campina Grande, PB, Brazil.
3
Universidade Federal do Maranhão, São Luís, MA, Brazil.
4
Universidade Federal do Mato Grosso, Cuaibá, MT, Brazil.
5
Universidade Estadual do Maranhão, São Luís, MA, Brazil.
*Corresponding author: [email protected]

Food Sci. Technol, Campinas, 43, e116122, 2023 1

 Marine macroalgae as an alternative in the feeding of broiler quails

effect of food, which can negatively affect weight gain and carcass and was carried out in three stages: washing with fresh run-
yield (Bonfim and Melo, 2015), with consequent commercial ning water, draining the sand and salt from the seawater, and
devaluation (El-kholy et al., 2017). thoroughly verifying the presence of pollutants and anthropic
substances such as plastics, hair, remains of marine fauna, etc.
The objective of this research was to evaluate the productive After the screening and washing process, the raw material was
performance, length, and weight of the large and small intestines placed in a thin layer on solvent paper to absorb excess water
of European quails (Coturnix coturnix cotrunix) in a thermal and dried in the shade for 7 days, then weighed and placed
stress environment (32°C±0.5), receiving feed with different to dry in a forced ventilation oven at 65°C, remaining at this
concentrations (0, 2.5, 5, and 7.5%) of marine macroalgae bran temperature until reaching a constant dry mass.
of the species Sargassum sp.
After removal from the oven, the material was placed to
cool naturally and ground in forage until it reached the granu-
2. Materials and Methods lometry of soybean and corn bran. Bran samples were sent for
laboratory analysis of micro- and macronutrients and material
2.1. Experiment location
toxicity. The cytotoxicity analysis followed the methodology of
The present study was carried out at the Laboratory of Meyer et al. (1982) using the Artemia salina bioassay method.
Rural Constructions and Ambience – LaCRA (7°13’51” South,
35°52’54” West), at the Universidade Federal de Campina 2.4. Experimental design and experimental procedures
Grande, Paraíba, Brazil, in a masonry shed with three win-
dows and vents that were closed during the night and open The experiment was arranged in a completely randomized
during the day under natural conditions, with dimensions of design, with four treatments (four levels of algal inclusion: 0,
7.40×3.70×3.0 m in length, width, and height, respectively. 2.5, 5, and 7.5%) with six replications in each experimental plot.
Feed and water were provided ad libitum. Seaweed meal
2.2. Ethics committee and animals (Sargassum sp.) was included in the diet at increasing levels (0.0,
2.5, 5.0, and 7.5%). During the entire experimental period, the
The procedures performed in this study were approved by
birds were weighed at intervals of 7 days, totaling six weighing
the Research Ethics Committee (CEP) of the Federal University during the experimental period. The lighting program was con-
of Campina Grande, Paraíba, Brazil, Protocol CEP No. 03/2021. tinuous, with 24 h of uninterrupted daily light (12 h natural and
A total of 240 European quail (Coturnix coturnix coturnix) 12 h artificial) throughout the experimental period. The food
chicks, with an initial age of one day and an average weight of (Table 1) was composed according to the composition indicated
8±0.50 g, acquired from a commercial hatchery, vaccinated, by the NRC (2007).
dewormed, and not sexed, were used. The experimental period
started in the first 42 days of the birds’ lives. 2.5. Environmental variables
In the first 14 days of life, the quails were weighed and The environmental variables air temperature (TA), relative
distributed in four closed protection circles with materials like air humidity (RH), and black globe temperature (TNG) were
MDF (medium-density fiberboard), sawdust bedding (shav- obtained using a KR42 datalogger, recording at 5-min intervals
ings), an average of 5 cm in height, and artificially heated with throughout the experimental period, and the lighting program
four 60-W incandescent bulbs. In each circle, 60 quails were used was 24 h of artificial lighting.
housed and provided with feeders and drinkers. At 15 days of
age, the birds were housed in galvanized wire cages with di- The values of temperature and relative humidity of the
mensions of front 100 × side 50 × height 15 cm, arranged in five average air during the period of thermal stress of 32.2°C and
floors, with each floor divided into three parts: front 33.3 × side 69.76%, respectively, were registered during the experiment.
50 × height 15 cm, totaling an area of 0.167 m², where 10 quails In the other hours, an average temperature of 27.16°C and a
were housed per cage, for a density of 60 birds per m², where relative humidity of 71.02% were recorded. With the tempera-
they stayed until the end of the experimental period, at 42 days. ture and relative humidity data, the temperature and humidity
index (ITU) were calculated according to the formula proposed
by Bunffington et al. (1977) and the Black Globe Temperature
2.3. Feed preparation and Humidity Index (ITGU). Mean values of UTI and ITGU
Seaweeds of the Sargassum genus, Sargassaceae family, and were obtained during heat stress of 31.56 and 83.22, respectively.
Sargassum sp. species were used to make the seaweed meal, and In the other hours, mean UTI and UGTIs of 26.33 and 76.11
the collection was carried out by using seaweeds released by the were obtained, respectively (Figures 1 and 2).
action of sea waves, called “algae aribadas,” without harm to the
environment or compromise of fauna and flora. The algae were 2.6. Performance evaluation and carcass yield
stored in permeable bags with natural ventilation for transport
The live weight and weight gain of the birds were evaluated
to LACRA, where they were removed and placed in a ventilated
per treatment and obtained weekly in grams by directly weighing
environment, and then the cleaning process began.
the birds using a precision analytical balance (0.1 g resolution).
The cleaning process consisted of the removal of probable Feed and water consumption were calculated weekly by the ratio
epiphytic “contaminants” and fauna associated with the algae of the difference between the amounts offered and the leftovers

2 Food Sci. Technol, Campinas, 43, e116122, 2023

 OLIVEIRA et al.

Table 1. Ingredients and nutritional composition used in the formu-

lation of feed for European quail in two phases.
Phase I (1–21 days)
Sargassum meal inclusion levels (%)
Ingredients (%)
0 2.50 5.00 7.50
Corn 51.82 47.79 43.76 39.72
Soybean meal 42.00 41.97 41.94 41.91
Sargassum bran 0.00 2.50 5.00 7.50
Dicalcium phosphate 0.14 0.14 0.14 0.14
Soybean oil 1.04 2.61 4.17 5.73
Mineral supplement1 5.00 5.00 5.00 5.00
Composition calculated
Figure 1. Averages of temperature and relative air humidity.
Met energy poultry (kcal/kg) 2,900 2,900 2,900 2,900
Crude protein (%) 25.00 25.00 25.00 25.00
Total limestone (%) 1.10 1.25 1.41 1.57
Available phosphorus (%) 0.38 0.38 0.38 0.38
Crude fiber (%) 2.96 3.17 3.37 3.56
Sodium (%) 0.22 0.23 0.23 0.24
Arginine (%) 1.52 1.51 1.49 1.47
Threonine (%) 0.80 0.79 0.78 0.77
Isoleucine (%) 0.95 0.93 0.92 0.912
Tryptophan (%) 0.28 0.28 0.27 0.271
Valine (%) 1.02 1.00 0.99 0.973
Leucine (%) 1.85 1.81 1.77 1.726
Lysine (%) 1.33 1.32 1.31 1.303
Methionine (%) 0.38 0.37 0.36 0.355
Methionine + cystine (%) 0.71 0.70 0.68 0.67 Figure 2. Means of temperature and humidity index (THI) and black
Phase II (22–42 days) globe temperature and humidity index (BGTHI).
Sargassum meal inclusion levels (%)
Ingredients (%)
0 2.50 5.00 7.50
Corn 58.37 54.34 50.31 46.28 divided by the number of animals, which was rectified according
Soybean meal 34.30 34.27 34.24 34.21 to the mortality of the birds. Feed conversion was calculated as
Sargassum bran 0.00 2.50 5.00 7.50 the ratio of feed intake per bird divided by weight gain.
Dicalcium phosphate 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
The birds were fasted for 12 h before slaughter, with only
Soybean oil 2.33 3.89 5.45 7.01
water available at will, and, after this period, the slaughter was
Mineral supplement1 5.00 5.00 5.00 5.00
carried out, stunning and bleeding, plucking in boiling water,
Composition calculated
removing the feathers, feet, head, and viscera, and obtaining the
Met energy poultry (kcal/kg) 3,050.00 3,050.00 3,050.00 3,050.00
weight of the cleaned and eviscerated carcass. The carcass yield
Crude protein (%) 22.00 22.00 22.00 22.00
(CY%) was calculated by relating the carcass weight to the liver
Total limestone (%) 1.04 1.19 1.35 1.51
(HL), and gizzard (HG), which were weighed using an analytical
Available phosphorus (%) 0.34 0.34 0.34 0.34
balance with a precision of ±0.1. To evaluate intestinal biometry,
Crude fiber (%) 2.96 3.17 3.37 3.56
intestinal length was weighed and measured; the small and large
Sodium (%) 0.21 0.22 0.23 0.24
intestines were weighed on a precision scale, and the length was
Arginine (%) 1.30 1.29 1.27 1.25
determined with the aid of a tape measure.
Threonine (%) 0.70 0.69 0.68 0.67
Isoleucine (%) 0.81 0.80 0.79 0.78
Tryptophan (%) 0.24 0.24 0.23 0.23 2.7. Statistical analysis
Valine (%) 0.89 0.87 0.86 0.84 The data were evaluated employing analysis of variance
Leucine (%) 1.66 1.62 1.58 1.54 (ANOVA) and the means compared by the Tukey test at 5%
Lysine (%) 1.14 1.14 1.13 1.12 probability through the GLM procedure (General Linear Mod-
Methionine (%) 0.34 0.34 0.33 0.32 el), and the data were submitted to regression by the PROC
Methionine + cystine (%) 0.64 0.63 0.62 0.60
REG of SAS® (2002).
¹Calcium (min) 196.5 g/kg (19.65%), calcium (max) 210 g/kg (21%), phosphorous (min)
27.5 g/kg (2.75%), sodium (min) 48.5 g/kg, methionine (min) 39.6 g/kg, lysine (min)
15.2 g/kg, 6 phytase (min) 12500 FTU/kg, vitamin A (min) 150000 UI/kg, vitamin D3
(min) 48000 UI/kg, vitamin E (min) 450 UI/kg, vitamin K3 (min) 37.5 mg/kg, vitamin
3. Results
B1 (min) 37.5 mg/kg, vitamin B2 (min) 97.5 mg/kg, vitamin B3 (min) 600 mg/kg, vitamin
B5 (min) 150 mg/kg, vitamin B6 (min) 60 mg/kg, vitamin H (vitamin B7) (min) 1.44 mg/
In the first phase (1–21 days), feed intake (p=0.004), water
kg, vitamin B9 (min) 15 mg/kg, vitamin B12 (min) 375 mcg/kg, Colina (min) 3540 mg/ (p<0.001), and weight gain (p=0.0052) showed a significant
kg, Cobre (min) 180 mg/kg, Ferro (min) 700 mg/kg, and Iodo. difference with the inclusion of sargassum meal (Table 2), where

Food Sci. Technol, Campinas, 43, e116122, 2023 3

 Marine macroalgae as an alternative in the feeding of broiler quails

Table 2. Performance of meat quails fed with different levels of sargassum meal inclusion in the diet*.
Sargassum bran inclusion levels (%) p-value
Variables SEM p-value
0.0 2.5 5.0 7.5 Linear Quadratic
Phase I: 1–21 days
Feed consumption (g ave-1) 314.45ab 294.12c 322.85a 301.05bc 10.34 0.0004 0.6844 0.9094
Water consumption (g ave-1) 764.98a 729.22c 757.27b 710.87d 0.66 <0.0001 0.0002¹ 0.4394
Weight gain (g ave-1) 136.62a 127.59ab 132.64ab 123.95b 5.68 0.0052 0.0091² 0.9485
Feed conversion 2.30a 2.31a 2.44a 2.43a 0.14 0.2236 0.0542 0.9034
Phase II: 22–42 days
Feed consumption (g ave-1) 342.75a 364.20a 352.88a 353.32a 13.75 0.0946 0.4796 0.0865
Water consumption (g ave-1) 1,033.04a 950.49c 966.32b 966.32b 0.81 <0.0001 0.0006 <0.0001³
Weight gain (g ave-1) 62.32a 64.46a 63.95a 60.32a 6.15 0.6511 0.5605 0.2517
Feed conversion 5.55a 5.71a 5.57a 5.87ª 0.55 0.7050 0.4069 0.7447
Phase III: 1–42 days
Feed consumption (g ave-1) 675.20a 658.32a 675.73a 654.20a 20.95 0.3031 0.8345 0.2106
Water consumption (g ave-1) 1,798.02a 1,679.70c 1,723.59b 1,677.19d 1.05 <0.0001 <0.0001 0.00824
Weight gain (g ave-1) 198.94a 192.05a 196.59a 184.27a 9.56 0.0701 0.03805 0.5103
Feed conversion 3.31a 3.46a 3.44a 3.57a 0.21 0.2621 0.0556 0.9027
*Different letters on the rows differ from each other by Tukey’s test; SEM: standard error means; ¹Y=760.72-5.38x (R²=0.58); ²Y=135.15-1.32x (R²=0.57); 3Y=1027.33-32.14x+3.30x²
(R²=0.84); 4Y=1785.39-34.31x+2.87x² (R²=0.67); 5Y=198.89-1.58x (R²=0.58).

feed intake was similar between the 5% inclusion levels and the difference was found in relation to the 5% inclusion level, which
control group. At levels of 2.5 and 7.5% sargassum meal inclu- presented the highest relative weight, and the control diet, which
sion, feed intake was lower. There was a reduction of 6.46 and presented the lowest relative weight of the gizzard.
4.26% in feed intake compared to the control group at levels 2.5
Regarding the parameters evaluated in the intestinal biom-
and 7% of bran inclusion, respectively, and there was an increase
of 2.6% in feed intake in the treatment with inclusion level 5%. etry of the six, only one showed a significant difference. For the
weight of the large intestine (p=0.0475), it showed a significant
Water consumption and weight gain showed a decreasing difference depending on the inclusion of seaweed in the diet
linear regressive effect with the inclusion of sargassum, with (Table 4), where the levels of 0, 2.5, and 5.0% of inclusion of
water consumption 4.65, 1.01, and 7.07% higher in the con- sargassum bran did not show a significant difference with each
trol group compared to levels 2.5, 5.0, and 7.5%, respectively. other. At a level of 7.5%, it presented the lowest value of the
Weight gain was higher in the control group and the lowest at large intestine weight.
the 2.5 and 7.5% levels, and comparing the control group with
the 5% level, an increase in feed intake of 2.6% is observed and
a reduction in water consumption of 1.01% (Table 2). Feed con- 4. Discussion
version was similar between treatments. In the second phase The lower consumption of feed in phase I is related to the
(22–42 days), feed intake, weight gain, and feed conversion greater amount of fiber in the feed with the inclusion of bran,
were similar between treatments, with water consumption in- where the birds need to adapt their physiology and the bacteria
creasing (p<0.0001) in the control group and at the 5% level of to digest this type of food, and, as quails are rustic animals and
inclusion of sargassum, with the lowest value at the 2.5% level can adapt to the most diverse food sources, such as seaweed,
and the highest in the control group, and water consumption there was no significant difference in this consumption in phases
showing a quadratic regressive effect with a maximum point II and in the final phase, with this consumption being within
of 4.87% of inclusion of seaweed (Table 2). In the total period, the average of 25 g/bird/day observed by Silva et al. (2012).
water consumption showed a significant difference (p<0.0001)
between the levels of algae inclusion, being higher in the control Water consumption was higher in the control diet with 5%
group and lower in the 7.5% level. Feed consumption, weight inclusion of algae, which may be associated with the amount of
gain, and feed conversion did not show significant differences nutrients available at this addition level, causing the quails to
by the Tukey test (p>0.0001; Table 2). have the same behavior as the control group. Hafsa and Hassan
(2022), in a study with seaweed of the Sargassum siliquastrum
In Table 3, the results show that the inclusion of sargassum species enriching in two levels of inclusion (1 and 2%), the feed
significantly affected two of the nine evaluated parameters. of Japanese quails aged 1–42 days, did not observe a difference
The dorsum and gizzard parameters showed significant differ- in the consumption of water and feed. Hafsa et al. (2019) did not
ences (p<0.05) regarding the inclusion of sargassum and based
identify any similarity between the water and feed consumption
on relative weight. So for the back, the control diet and the inclu-
variables in the final phase.
sion levels of 2.5 and 5% did not obtain a significant difference
between them and showed a significant difference in relation Water consumption in relation to food consumption was
to the inclusion level of 7.5%. For the gizzard, a significant 2.66 for the control group and 2.55, 2.54, and 2.56 for levels 2.5,

4 Food Sci. Technol, Campinas, 43, e116122, 2023

 OLIVEIRA et al.

Table 3. Absolute and relative weights of carcass, cuts and edible viscera of European quails at 42 days of age*.
Sargassum bran inclusion levels (%) p-value
Variables SEM p-value
0.0 2.5 5.0 7.5 Linear Quadratic
Absolute weight (g)
Slaughter weight 229.35a 209.02a 214.81a 206.63a 15.68 0.0859 0.0541 0.3644
Carcass weight 167.60a 194.41a 160.48a 153.87a 13.35 0.1294 0.2572 0.3288
Chest 59.12a 53.93a 55.90a 55.03a 5.56 0.4296 0.3218 0.3532
Back 59.91a 52.77a 57.98a 52.96a 4.97 0.0575 0.1299 0.6458
Thigh 31.84a 28.31a 30.19a 30.59a 2.37 0.1109 0.6978 0.0637
Wings 16.74a 14.39a 16.41a 15.28a 1.57 0.0653 0.4727 0.4096
Heart 1.92a 1.66a 1.83a 1.73a 0.17 0.0609 0.2301 0.3063
Liver 3.90a 3.54a 4.61a 5.38a 2.26 0.5216 0.1813 0.5407
Gizzard 4.03a 3.86a 4.33a 3.99a 0.41 0.2630 0.6368 0.6541
Intestine 18.70a 17.42a 15.59a 16.71a 5.08 0.7592 0.3933 0.5631
Relative weight (%)
Carcass yield 73.21a 71.57a 74.55a 74.57a 3.20 0.3441 0.2418 0.5414
Chest 35.30a 36.09a 34.69a 35.74a 1.03 0.1409 0.9801 0.7910
Back 35.70ab 35.31ab 36.18a 34.44b 0.89 0.0196 0.1324 0.1055
Thigh 19.02a 18.95a 18.88a 19.88a 0.76 0.1100 0.0958 0.0945
Wings 9.98a 9.65a 10.25a 9.94a 0.71 0.5615 0.7208 0.9626
Heart 1.15a 1.11a 1.16a 1.12a 0.11 0.8842 0.8897 0.9574
Liver 2.34a 2.38a 2.84a 3.46a 1.36 0.4667 0.1233 0.5994
Gizzard 2.40b 2.58ab 2.70a 2.60ab 0.18 0.0474 0.0511 0.0556
Intestine 11.23a 11.79a 9.79a 10.79a 3.35 0.7681 0.5883 0.8707
*Different letters on the rows differ from each other by Tukey’s test; SEM: standard error means.

Table 4. Intestinal biometry of beef quails at 42 days of age, fed with sargassum bran*.
Sargassum bran inclusion levels (%) p-value
Variables SEM p-value
0.0 2.5 5.0 7.5 Linear Quadratic
Intestine slender (cm) 56.83a 62.17a 55.83a 54.83a 7.99 0.4112 0.4102 0.3468
Intestine slender (g) 5.09a 5.80a 5.24a 4.48a 1.03 0.2073 0.2292 0.0911
Intestine large (cm) 13.83a 9.17a 12.17a 11.50a 2.93 0.0798 0.5092 0.1367
Intestine large (g) 1.53ab 1.88a 1.53ab 1.18b 0.39 0.0475 0.0859 0.0510
Total length (cm) 71.17a 68.00a 68.00a 66.33a 9.99 0.8638 0.4148 0.8527
Total weight 6.62a 7.68a 6.78a 5.65 1.30 0.0936 0.1443 0.0509
*Different letters on the rows differ from each other by Tukey’s test; SEM: standard error means.

5, and 7.5% of algae inclusion for the total period, respectively. of carcass traits. Carlos et al. (2011), working with calcareous
The results are within the average for the species, even with the seaweed flour replacing calcitic limestone and cyclic thermal
birds kept in hot environments, which demonstrates a high stress reaching a maximum of 32°C, also found no significant
adaptability of these birds to hot environments. Under heat difference in weight gain and feed conversion of Japanese quails.
stress, birds can increase their intake frequency (Santos et al., As for the back weight variable, the development of the
2017) without significant changes in their total intake. Furtado birds is guided by the variables weight at slaughter of the birds
et al. (2022) cited that the increase in water consumption in and carcass weight, with symmetry between the three in each
response to thermal stress can be offset by the reduction in water treatment. Similar results were found by Santos et al. (2014),
consumption at night in milder thermal conditions. in which the back weight was proportional to the weight of the
Slaughter weight, carcass weight, and yield with the inclu- birds and the carcass. These results are for different breeding
sion of bran were within the average for the species, demon- environments, as the relationship is with the development of the
strating the adaptability of birds to hot weather and that the bird and not with the influence of the environment on the bird.
offer of levels of up to 7.5% of sargassum bran does not affect Therefore, even with the birds being raised in environments
these variables, with the adaptability of birds to this type of with temperatures of up to 32°C, this was not enough to change
food. Similar results were found by Matshogo et al. (2020), this variable. With the addition of sargassum bran levels, there
working with inclusions of 2, 2.5, 3, and 3.5% of seaweed in the was an increase in fiber levels in the diet, but this was not
diet of Cobb broiler chickens that did not identify impairment enough to provide an increase in the liver. However, the gizzard

Food Sci. Technol, Campinas, 43, e116122, 2023 5

 Marine macroalgae as an alternative in the feeding of broiler quails

underwent changes in relation to the control group, this fact Alfaia, C. M., Pestana, J. M., Rodrigues, M., Coelho, D., Aires, M. J.,
being related to the sensitivity of the development of this organ Ribeiro, D. M., Major, V. T., Martins, C. F., Santos, H., Lopes, P.
when there is an increase in the concentration of fiber in the A., Lemos, J. P. C., Fontes, C. M. G. A., Lordelo, M. M., & Prates,
feed. Even under thermal stress, the weight of the organs was J. A. M. (2021). Influence of dietary Chlorella Vulgaris and car-
bohydrateactive enzymes on growth performance, meat quality
within normal limits. Furtado et al. (2022), by keeping laying
and lipid composition of broiler chickens. Poultry Science, 100(2),
quails at stress temperature (32°C), did not observe a reduction 926-937. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psj.2020.11.034
in feed intake and heart, liver, and gizzard weight compared to
Arif, M., Rehman, A., Naseer, K., Abdel-Hafez, S. H., Alminderej, F.
birds kept in thermal comfort (24°C).
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5. Conclusion
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