Evaluation of Hydrolyzed Black Cumin Seed Protein as a Bioactive Peptide Source in Broiler Chicken Diets

Subject Areas :

A. Dadashi Oranj ¹ , B. Navidshad ^{2 *} , S. Karimzadeh ³ , A. Kalantari Hesari ⁴ , F. Mirzaei Aghjehgheshlagh ⁵

1 - Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agricultural Science and Technology, University of Mohaghegh Ardabili, Ardabil, Iran
2 - Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agricultural Science and Technology, University of Mohaghegh Ardabili, Ardabil, Iran
3 - Department of Animal Science, Rodaki Higher Education Institute, Tonekabon, Mazandaran, Iran
4 - Department of Pathobiology, Faculty of Veterinary Science, Bu-Ali Sina University, Hamedan, Iran
5 - Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agricultural Science and Technology, University of Mohaghegh Ardabili, Ardabil, Iran

Received: 2024-11-22 Accepted : 2025-05-30 Published : 2025-09-01

Keywords: bioactive peptides, black cumin seed meal, broiler chickens, performance,

Abstract :

This study investigated the effects of hydrolyzed black cumin seed protein (HBCP) as a potential source of bioactive peptides on broiler chicken performance. A total of 560 Ross 308 broiler chicks were randomly allocated to seven dietary treatments: a control diet and six treatments containing varying levels of HBCP (0.05%, 0.1%, 0.15%, 0.2%), prebiotic (0.2%), or organic acid (0.2%). Results showed that the inclusion of 0.1%, 0.15%, and 0.2% HBCM in broiler diets improved body weight gain and feed conversion ratio during the entire rearing period. Additionally, the addition of 0.2% prebiotic and organic acid to the diet signifi-cantly increased body weight and decreased feed conversion ratio compared to the control group (P<0.05). Inclusion of 0.1%, 0.15%, and 0.2% HBCM in the diet significantly increased the digestibility of dry matter and organic matter compared to the control group (P<0.05). The use of 0.15% and 0.2% HBCM improved ash digestibility compared to the control group (P<0.05). The inclusion of prebiotics and organic acids in broiler diets also significantly improved the digestibility of dry matter, ash, and organic matter (P<0.05). Furthermore, the addition of HBCP, prebiotic, and organic acid positively influenced intestinal morphology, characterized by increased villus height, width, while decreasing crypt depth (P<0.05). Regarding blood biochemistry, HBCP, prebiotic, and organic acid supplementation led to decreased cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL), and triglyceride levels, while increasing high-density lipoprotein (HDL) levels (P<0.05). The results of this experiment demonstrated that bioactive peptides derived from black cumin hydrolysate exerted effects comparable to those of prebiotics and organic acids, improving productive traits in broilers.

References:

Abdollahi M., Zaefarian T., Gu Y., Xiao W., Jia J. and Ravindran V. (2017). Influence of soybean bioactive peptides on growth performance, nutrient utilisation, digestive tract development, and intestinal histology in broilers. J. Appl. Anim. Nutr. 5, 1-7.
Agh G., Dastar B., Shams Shargh M., Hashemi S.R. and Mir-shekar R. (2018). Effect of different levels of black seed (Nigella sativa L.) and dietary protein on performance, carcass composition, and blood parameters of broiler chickens. Anim. Sci. 31, 115-128.
AOAC. (2005). Official Methods of Analysis. 18th Ed. Associa-tion of Official Analytical Chemists, Gaithersburg, MD, USA.
Ashayerizadeh O., Dastar B., Shams Shargh M., Ashayerizadeh A., Rahmatnejad E. and Hossaini S.M.R. (2009). Use of garlic (Allium sativum), black cumin (Nigella sativa L.), and wild mint (Mentha longifolia) in broiler chickens’ diets. J. Anim. Vet. Adv. 8, 1860-1863.
Aviagen. (2019). Ross 308: Broiler Performance Objectives and Nutrition Specifications. Aviagen Ltd., Newbridge, UK.
Bahadori M.M., Rezaeipour V., Abdullahpour R. and Irani M. (2023). The combined effects of sesame meal bioactive pep-tides and plant essential oils on growth performance, nutrient digestibility, immune and hematological parameters in broiler chickens. Iranian J. Anim. Sci. 54, 175-186.
Boka J., Mahdavi A., Samie A. and Jahanian R. (2014). Effect of different levels of black cumin (Nigella sativa L.) on perform-ance, intestinal Escherichia coli colonization, and jejunal mor-phology in laying hens. J. Anim. Physiol. Anim. Nutr. 98, 373-383.
Cruz-Casas D.E., Aguilar C.N., Ascacio-Valdés J.A., Rodríguez-Herrera R., Chávez-González M.L. and Flores-Gallegos A.C. (2021). Enzymatic hydrolysis and microbial fermentation: The most favorable biotechnological methods for the release of bioactive peptides. Food Chem. Mol. Sci. 3, 100047-100056.
Ershadi D., Navidshad B., Moheboddini H., Mirzaei Agh-jehgheshlagh F. and Karamati Jabehdar S. (2022). Effect of Nigella sativa meal with multi-enzyme on growth perform-ance and blood biochemical parameters of broiler chick-ens. Iranian J. Anim. Sci. Res. 14, 65-81.
Foroutankhah M., Toghyani M. and Landy N. (2019). Evaluation of Calendula officinalis L. (marigold) flower as a natural growth promoter in comparison with an antibiotic growth promoter on growth performance, carcass traits, and humoral immune responses of broilers. Anim. Nut. 5, 314-318.
Gao D., Cao Y. and Li H. (2010). Antioxidant activity of peptide fractions derived from cottonseed protein hydrolysate. J. Sci. Food. Agri. 90, 1855-1860.
Ghalamkari G.H., Toghyani M., Landy N. and Tavalaeian E. (2012). Investigation of the effects using different levels of Mentha pulegium L. (pennyroyal) in comparison with an antibiotic growth promoter on performance, carcass traits, and immune responses in broiler chickens. Asian. Pac. J. Trop. Biomed. 2, 1396-1399.
Ghasemi H.A., Kasani N. and Taherpour K. (2014). Effects of black cumin seed (Nigella sativa L.), a probiotic, a prebiotic, and a synbiotic on growth performance, immune response, and blood characteristics of male broilers. Liv. Sci. 164, 128-134.
Gheisari A., Shahrvand S. and Landy N. (2017). Effect of ethano-lic extract of propolis as an alternative to antibiotics as a growth promoter on broiler performance, serum biochemistry, and immune responses. Vet. World. 10, 249-254.
Gilbert E.R., Wong E.A. and Webb K.E. (2008). Peptide absorp-tion and utilization: Implications for animal nutrition and health. J. Anim. Sci. 86, 2135-2155.
Goodarzi M., Nanekarani S.H. and Landy N. (2014). Effect of dietary supplementation with onion (Allium cepa L.) on per-formance, carcass traits, and intestinal microflora composition in broiler chickens. Asian Pac. J. Trop. Dis. 4, 297-301.
Hassan I.I., Askar A.G. and El-Shourbagy A.G. (2004). Influence of some medicinal plants on performance, physiological, and meat quality traits of broiler chicks. Egyptian J. Poult. Sci. 24, 247-266.
Hisham R.I., Isono H. and Miyata T. (2018). Potential antioxidant bioactive peptides from camel milk proteins. Anim. Nut. 4, 273-280.
Hosseinpoor L., Navidshad B., Faseleh Jahromi M.M., Karimzadeh S., Kalantari Hesari A., Mirzaei Aghjehgheshlagh F., Lotfollahian H., Oskoueian E. and Heydari A. (2023). The antioxidant properties of bioactive peptides derived from en-zymatic hydrolyzed or fermented canola meal and its effects on broiler chickens. Int. J. Pept. Res. Ther. 29, 40-48.
Incharoen T., Yamauchi K., Erikawa T. and Gotoh H. (2010). Histology of intestinal villi and epithelial cells in chickens fed low-crude protein or low-crude fat diets. Italian J. Anim. Sci. 9, 82-91.
Jang A., Liu X.D., Shin M.H., Lee B.D., Lee S.K., Lee J.H. and Jo C. (2008). Antioxidative potential of raw breast meat from broiler chicks fed a dietary medicinal herb extract mix. Poult. Sci. 87, 2382-2389.
Jang J.P. (2011). The evaluation of different levels of Nigella sativa seed on performance and blood parameters of broil-ers. Ann. Biol. Res. 2, 567-572.
Karimzadeh S., Rezaei M. and Teimouri Yansari A. (2016). Ef-fects of canola bioactive peptides on performance, digestive enzyme activities, nutrient digestibility, intestinal morphology, and gut microflora in broiler chickens. Poult. Sci. J. 4, 27-36.
Karimzadeh S., Rezaei M. and Teimouri Yansari A. (2017). Ef-fects of different levels of canola meal peptides on growth per-formance and blood metabolites in broiler chickens. Livest. Sci. 203, 37-40.
Kheiri F., Faghani M. and Landy N. (2018). Evaluation of thyme and ajwain as antibiotic growth promoter substitutions on growth performance, carcass characteristics, and serum bio-chemistry in Japanese quails (Coturnix japonica). Anim. Nut. 4, 79-83.
Kotzamanis Y.P., Gisbert E., Gatesoupe F.J., Zambonino Infante J. and Cahu C. (2007). Effects of different dietary levels of fish protein hydrolysates on growth, digestive enzymes, gut microbiota, and resistance to Vibrio anguillarum in European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) larvae. Com. Bioch. Physiol. A. Mol. Integ. Physiol. 147, 205-214.
Kour J. and Gani A. (2021). Nigella sativa seed cake: Nutraceuti-cal significance and applications in the food and cosmetic in-dustry. J. Food Sci. Technol. 58, 8966-8979.
Landy N., Kheiri F. and Faghani M. (2020). Evaluation of cotton-seed bioactive peptides on growth performance, carcass traits, immunity, total antioxidant activity of serum, and intestinal morphology in broiler chickens. Italian J. Anim. Sci. 19, 1375-1386.
Liu J., Luo Y., Zhang X., Gao Y. and Zhang W. (2022). Effects of bioactive peptides derived from cottonseed meal solid-state fermentation on the growth, metabolism, and immunity of yel-low-feathered broilers. Anim. Sci. J. 93, 13781-13790.
Mariod A.A., Ibrahim R.M., Ismail M. and Ismail N. (2009). An-tioxidant activity and phenolic content of phenolic-rich frac-tions obtained from black cumin (Nigella sativa) seed-cake. Food Chem. 116, 306-312.
Miles R.D., Butcher G.D., Henry P.R. and Littell R.C. (2006). Effect of antibiotic growth promoters on broiler performance, intestinal growth parameters, and quantitative morphol-ogy. Poult. Sci. 85, 476-485.
Mohammadrezaei M., Navidshad B., Gheisari A. and Toghyani M. (2021). Cottonseed meal bioactive peptides as an alterna-tive to antibiotic growth promoters in broiler chicks. Int. J. Pept. Res. Ther. 27, 329-340.
Nasiri N., Ilaghi Nezhad M., Sharififar F., Khazaneha M., Na-jafzadeh M.J. and Mohamadi N. (2022). The therapeutic ef-fects of Nigella sativa on skin disease: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Evid. Based Complement. Altern. Med. 2022, 1-9.
Osman A., Goda H.A., Abdel-Hamid M., Badran S.M. and Otte J. (2016). Antibacterial peptides generated by alkaline hydrolysis of goat whey. LWT. Food. Sci. Technol. 65, 480-86.
Power O., Jakeman P. and FitzGerald R.J. (2013). Antioxidative peptides: Enzymatic production, in vitro and in vivo antioxi-dant activity, and potential applications of milk-derived anti-oxidative peptides. Amino Acids. 44, 797-820.
Ryder K., Bekhit A.E.D., McConnell M. and Carne A. (2016). Towards generation of bioactive peptides from meat industry waste proteins: Generation of peptides using commercial mi-crobial proteases. Food Chem. 208, 42-50.
Saeid J.M., Mohamed A.B. and Al-Baddy M.A. (2013). Effect of garlic powder (Allium sativum) and black seed (Nigella sativa) on broiler growth performance and intestinal morphol-ogy. Iranian J. Appl. Anim. Sci. 3, 185-188.
Salavati M.E., Rezaeipour V., Abdullahpour R. and Mousavi N. (2019). Effects of graded inclusion of bioactive peptides de-rived from sesame meal on the growth performance, internal organs, gut microbiota, and intestinal morphology of broiler chickens. Int. J. Pept. Res. Ther. 26, 1541-1548.
Salavati M.E., Rezaeipour V., Abdullahpour R. and Mousavi N. (2021). Bioactive peptides from sesame meal for broiler chickens: Its influence on the serum biochemical metabolites, immunity responses, and nutrient digestibility. Int. J. Pept. Res. Ther. 27, 1297-1303.
Sørum H. and Sunde M. (2001). Resistance to antibiotics in the normal flora of animals. Vet. Res. 32, 227-241.
Toghyani M., Toghyani M., Gheisari A., Ghalamkari G. and Mohammadrezaei M. (2010). Growth performance, serum biochemistry, and blood hematology of broiler chicks fed dif-ferent levels of black seed (Nigella sativa) and peppermint (Mentha piperita). Livest. Sci. 129, 173-178.
Visek W.J. (1987). The mode of growth promotion by antibiot-ics. J. Anim. Sci. 46, 1447-1469.
Wald M., Schwarz K., Rehbein H., Bußmann B. and Beermann C. (2016). Detection of antibacterial activity of an enzymatic hy-drolysate generated by processing rainbow trout byproducts with trout pepsin. Food Chem. 205, 221-228.
Wang J.P., Liu N., Song M.Y., Qin C.L. and Ma C.S. (2011). Effect of enzymolytic soybean meal on growth performance, nutrient digestibility, and immune function of growing broil-ers. Anim. Feed Sci. Technol. 169, 224-229.
Yazdi F.F., Ghalamkari G.H., Toghiani M., Modaresi M. and Landy N. (2014). Anise seed (Pimpinella anisum L.) as an al-ternative to antibiotic growth promoters on performance, car-cass traits, and immune responses in broiler chicks. Asian Pac. J. Trop. Dis. 4, 447-451.
Zaazaa A., Mudalal S., Sabbah M., Altamimi M., Dalab A. and Samara M. (2023). Effects of black cumin seed (Nigella sa-tiva) and coconut meals (Cocos nucifera) on broiler perform-ance and cecal microbiota. Animals. 13, 535-545.
Zaefarian F., Abdollahi M.R., Cowieson A. and Ravindran V. (2019). Avian liver: The forgotten organ. Animals. 9, 63-72.
Zaky A.A., Shim J.H. and Abd El-Aty A.M. (2021). A review on extraction, characterization, and applications of bioactive pep-tides from pressed black cumin seed cake. Front. Nutr. 1(8), 743909-743918.
Zambrowicz A., Pokora M., Setner B., Dąbrowska A., Szołtysik M., Babij K., Szewczuk Z., Trziszka T., Lubec G. and Chrzanowska J. (2015). Multifunctional peptides derived from an egg yolk protein hydrolysate: Isolation and characteriza-tion. Amino Acids. 47, 369-380.