J. Appl. Poult. Res.
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J APPL POULT RES 2008. 17:476-481. doi:10.3382/japr.2008-00031
© 2008 Poultry Science Association
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Research Reports

The Effect of Chromium Propionate on Growth Performance and Carcass Traits in Broilers1

A. R. Jackson, S. Powell, S. Johnston, J. L. Shelton, T. D. Bidner, F. R. Valdez2 and L. L. Southern3

School of Animal Sciences, Louisiana State University Agricultural Center, Baton Rouge 70703

Correspondence: 3 Corresponding author: lsouthern{at}agctr.lsu.edu


   SUMMARY
TOP
 SUMMARY
DESCRIPTION OF PROBLEM
 MATERIALS AND METHODS
 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
 CONCLUSIONS AND APPLICATIONS
 REFERENCES AND NOTES
 
Chromium has been considered by many nutritionists as an essential nutrient for animals and humans. Research on the use of Cr from organic sources in poultry is limited. Two experiments were conducted to determine the effects of dietary addition of 0, 200, 400, or 800 ppb Cr as chromium propionate on growth performance and carcass traits in 0- to 42- or 0- to 49-d-old broilers. The results of these experiments indicate that Cr as chromium propionate improved feed efficiency in the later phases of growth and decreased mortality in one experiment but not another. Also, chromium propionate supplementation had no effect on carcass traits.

Key Words: broiler • chromium propionate • carcass trait • growth


   DESCRIPTION OF PROBLEM
TOP
 SUMMARY
 DESCRIPTION OF PROBLEM
MATERIALS AND METHODS
 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
 CONCLUSIONS AND APPLICATIONS
 REFERENCES AND NOTES
 
Organic Cr is available for use in swine in the United States [1], but it is not currently approved for use in poultry. There has been much less research with Cr in poultry than with Cr in swine. The reported positive effect of organic Cr on reproductive traits of swine [2, 3] stimulated some of the research with Cr and poultry. In general, some research has shown an improvement in egg production in layers and quail [4–7], growth performance of broilers and turkeys [8–12], and carcass traits of broilers and turkeys [8, 13]. Others, however, have reported no positive effect on these same traits [13–16].

Most of the previous research with Cr has been with chromium tripicolinate (CrPic) or CrCl3, and there has been no research in broilers with chromium propionate (CrProp). Therefore, the objective of this research was to evaluate the effects of CrProp on growth performance and carcass traits in 0- to 42-d-old commercial broilers as well as growth performance in 0- to 49-d-old commercial broilers.


   MATERIALS AND METHODS
TOP
 SUMMARY
 DESCRIPTION OF PROBLEM
 MATERIALS AND METHODS
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
 CONCLUSIONS AND APPLICATIONS
 REFERENCES AND NOTES
 
The procedures related to animal care used in these experiments were approved by the Louisiana State University Agricultural Center Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee.

General
An experiment was conducted to determine the effects of dietary CrProp on growth performance and carcass traits in 0- to 42-d-old broilers. A second similar experiment was conducted to determine the effects of dietary CrProp on growth performance in 0- to 49-d-old broilers. Both experiments were conducted with 1,460 commercial Ross 508 broilers [17]. The experiments consisted of 4 treatments that were replicated 7 times (4 male and 3 female) with either 50 male or 55 female broilers per pen. On d 0, chicks were sexed and randomly assigned to 28 (1.5 x 3.0 m) pens. The broilers were housed at the Louisiana State University poultry farm in 1 room of a ventilated tunnel house equipped with cool cells and fans [18]. All pens contained litter top-dressed with 10 cm of clean wood shavings. The broilers had ad libitum access to feed in mash form and water for the duration of the experiment. Mortalities were recorded daily, and the weights of the dead birds were used to adjust average daily gain, average daily feed intake, and gain:feed (G:F). The chicks were brooded between 31 and 32°C on wk 1, and the temperature was lowered gradually each week until 24 to 27°C was achieved. The 3-phase feeding program consisted of starter, grower, and finisher diets (Table 1Go) fed from 0 to 14, 15 to 36, and 37 to 42 (experiment 1) or 37 to 49 d (experiment 2), respectively.


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  		Table 1. Composition of diets for 42- and 49-d growth trial1
 
Experiment 1
This experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of CrProp on growth performance and carcass traits in 0- to 42-d-old commercial broilers. Chromium propionate was included in the diet to provide 0, 200, 400, or 800 ppb supplemental Cr. Average initial and final BW were 37 and 2,136 g, respectively. This experiment was conducted in November and December of 2002.

Feed intake data were lost from some pens during the starter phase. Because of this, the number of replications for the starter phase average daily feed intake and G:F for the 0, 200, 400, and 800 ppb Cr was 5, 5, 2, and 7, respectively.

Carcass Traits
After final BW was taken, 6 broilers from each pen were randomly selected and tagged. The broilers were then fasted for 12 h on d 42 and transported to the Louisiana State University Food Processing and Technology Pilot Plant. The broilers were killed by severing the jugular. The birds were scalded, defeathered, and eviscerated. The fat pad weight was recorded before the carcasses were chilled in an aerated chill tank. The carcasses were chilled approximately 30 min, removed, allowed to drain, and chill weight was recorded. The breast from each carcass was removed, and the individual breast weight was recorded as chilled breast weight. After the chilled breast weight was recorded, the breasts were placed in a poultry meat tray that contained 2 absorbent pads. Each tray was then sealed and held at 4 to 6°C for 24 h, after which breast weight was recorded to determine drip loss.

Cook Loss
Twenty-four hours after determining drip loss, cook loss was determined. Three breasts per replication were individually vacuum-packaged in plastic bags and heated in an agitating water bath at 85°C for 50 min. After cooking, breasts were blotted dry, allowed to remain at room temperature for 15 min, and then weighed. Cook loss was determined by taking the difference between the weight before and after cooking. Twenty-four hours after determining cook loss, shear force was determined by shearing 3 cubes from each breast; each cube was 3 cm square [19].

Experiment 2
This experiment was similar to experiment 1, except only growth performance data were collected, and the study was conducted for 0 to 49 d. Average initial and final BW were 37 and 2,147 g, respectively. This experiment was conducted in June and July of 2003.

Statistical Analysis
Data were analyzed as a completely randomized design using the GLM procedure of SAS [20]. Contrast statements appropriate for unevenly spaced treatments were used to determine treatment differences. The pen of chicks served as the experimental unit for all data. The model included treatment and sex. There were no treatment x sex interactions, so this effect was removed from the model.


   RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
TOP
 SUMMARY
 DESCRIPTION OF PROBLEM
 MATERIALS AND METHODS
 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
CONCLUSIONS AND APPLICATIONS
 REFERENCES AND NOTES
 
Growth Performance and Carcass Traits
In the experiment 1 grower phase, 400 ppb Cr decreased (quadratic, P < 0.10) average daily gain and G:F. In the finisher phase, the 400 ppb Cr treatment increased (quadratic, P < 0.10) G:F. There was no significant effect of Cr on overall growth performance (Table 2Go) or carcass traits (Table 3Go) in broilers. In experiment 2, Cr supplementation did not affect growth performance (Table 4Go). The effect of Cr on growth performance and carcass traits in broilers has been variable [21], and our results agree with this variability. The present research showed that Cr supplementation improved some aspects of growth performance in one experiment but not in another. This result and the review by the NRC [21] regarding the variability of Cr supplementation agree with recent publications [8, 10–12, 14]. Researchers [11] reported that CrPic had no effect on growth, but feed efficiency was improved. Also, research has shown [8] that Cr as CrPic improved growth performance of broilers during heat stress, but this response to Cr may be because of the heat stress challenge. Similarly, others [12] have reported that 1,600 ppb Cr as CrPic improved gain in broilers. However, not all research shows positive effects of Cr as CrPic on growth performance in broilers [10, 14].


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  		Table 2. The effect of chromium propionate on growth performance of 42-d-old broilers, experiment 11
 

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  		Table 3. The effect of chromium propionate on carcass characteristics and meat quality of 42-d-old broilers, experiment 11
 

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  		Table 4. The effect of chromium propionate on growth performance of 49-d-old broilers, experiment 21,2
 
Mortality
In the grower phase of experiment 1, mortality was decreased (cubic, P < 0.10) in broilers fed 200 or 800 ppb Cr. Mortality was also decreased (quadratic, P < 0.10) in broilers fed 200 and 400 ppb Cr in the finisher phase. However, there was no effect of Cr supplementation on mortality in the overall data, which averaged 0.9 vs. 1.1% and 6.0 vs. 4.1% for birds fed the control diets vs. those supplemented with CrProp in experiments 1 and 2, respectively. These data suggest that Cr may have positive effects on mortality in broilers in some instances. Similarly, CrPic and Cr yeast have been reported to decrease mortality in broilers [13, 15].

In summary, our data and the data in the literature suggest that Cr may improve growth performance and mortality in some instances but not in others. Supplementation with CrProp did not have consistent effects on growth performance or carcass traits.


   CONCLUSIONS AND APPLICATIONS
TOP
 SUMMARY
 DESCRIPTION OF PROBLEM
 MATERIALS AND METHODS
 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
 CONCLUSIONS AND APPLICATIONS
REFERENCES AND NOTES
 

  1. Chromium supplementation seems to decrease mortality in broilers in some instances, but the data are limited.
  2. More extensive research is needed to determine the effect of Cr on growth performance, carcass traits, and mortality in broilers under varying rearing conditions.


   FOOTNOTES
 
1 Approved for publication by the director of the Louisiana Agricultural Experiment Station as manuscript number 2008-230-1541. Back

2 Current address: Kemin Industries, 2100 Maury St., Des Moines, IA 50306-0070. Back


   REFERENCES AND NOTES
TOP
 SUMMARY
 DESCRIPTION OF PROBLEM
 MATERIALS AND METHODS
 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
 CONCLUSIONS AND APPLICATIONS
 REFERENCES AND NOTES
 

  1. American Association of Feed Control Officials. 2008. Page 311 in Metal Propionates Definition 57.160. Am. Assoc. Feed Control Off.
  2. Lindemann, M. D., C. M. Wood, A. F. Harper, E. T. Kornegay, and R. A. Anderson. 1995. Dietary chromium picolinate additions improve gain:feed and carcass characteristics in growing-finishing pigs and increase litter size in reproducing sows. J. Anim. Sci. 73:457–465.[Abstract]
  3. Lindemann, M. D., S. D. Carter, L. I. Chiba, C. R. Dove, F. M. LeMieux, and L. L. Southern. 2004. A regional evaluation of chromium tripicolinate supplementation of diets fed to reproducing sows. J. Anim. Sci. 82:2972–2977.[Abstract/Free Full Text]
  4. Sahin, K., O. Kucuk, N. Sahin, and O. Ozbey. 2001. Effects of dietary chromium picolinate supplementation on egg production, egg quality and serum concentrations of insulin, corticosterone, and some metabolites of Japanese quails. Nutr. Res. 21:1315–1321.[CrossRef][Web of Science]
  5. Sahin, K., O. Kucuk, and N. Sahin. 2001. Effects of dietary chromium picolinate supplementation on performance and plasma concentrations of insulin and corticosterone in laying hens under low ambient temperature. J. Anim. Physiol. Anim. Nutr. (Berl.) 85:142–147.[Medline]
  6. Sahin, K., O. Ozbey, M. Onderci, G. Cikim, and M. H. Aysondu. 2002. Chromium supplementation can alleviate negative effects of heat stress on egg production, egg quality and some serum metabolites of laying Japanese quail. J. Nutr. 132:1265–1268.[Abstract/Free Full Text]
  7. Page, T. G. 1991. Chromium, tryptophan and picolinate in diets for pigs and poultry. PhD Diss. Louisiana State Univ., Baton Rouge.
  8. Sahin, K., N. Sahin, M. Onderci, F. Gursu, and G. Cikim. 2002. Optimal dietary concentration of chromium for alleviating the effect of heat stress on growth, carcass qualities, and some serum metabolites of broiler chickens. Biol. Trace Elem. Res. 89:53–64.[CrossRef][Web of Science][Medline]
  9. Rosebrough, R. W., and N. C. Steele. 1981. Effect of supplemental dietary chromium or nicotinic acid on carbohydrate metabolism during basal, starvation, and refeeding periods in poults. Poult. Sci. 60:407–417.[Web of Science][Medline]
  10. Kim, S. W., I. K. Han, Y. J. Choi, Y. H. Kim, I. S. Shin, and B. J. Chae. 1995. Effect of chromium picolinate on growth performance, carcass composition, and serum traits of broilers fed dietary different levels of crude protein. Asian-australas. J. Anim. Sci. 8:463–470.
  11. Lee, D. N., F. Y. Wu, Y. H. Cheng, R. S. Lin, and P. C. Wu. 2003. Effects of dietary chromium picolinate supplementation on growth performance and immune responses of broilers. Asian-australas. J. Anim. Sci. 16:227–233.
  12. Lien, T. F., Y. M. Horng, and K. H. Yang. 1999. Performance, serum characteristics, carcase traits and lipid metabolism of broilers as affected by supplement of chromium picolinate. Br. Poult. Sci. 40:357–363.[CrossRef][Web of Science][Medline]
  13. Debski, B., W. Zalewski, M. A. Gralak, and T. Kolsa. 2004. Chromium-yeast supplementation of chicken broilers in an industrial farming system. J. Trace Elem. Med. Biol. 18:47–51.[CrossRef][Web of Science][Medline]
  14. Kim, Y. H., I. K. Han, Y. J. Choi, I. S. Shin, B. J. Chae, and T. H. Kang. 1996. Effect of dietary levels of chromium picolinate on growth performance, carcass quality, and serum traits in broiler chicks. Asian-australas. J. Anim. Sci. 9:341–347.
  15. Kim, Y. H., I. K. Han, I. S. Shin, B. J. Chae, and T. H. Kang. 1996. Effect of dietary excessive chromium picolinate on growth performance, nutrient utilizability and serum traits in broiler chicks. Asian-australas. J. Anim. Sci. 9:349–354.
  16. Ward, T. L., L. L. Southern, and S. L. Boleman. 1993. Effect of dietary chromium picolinate on growth, nitrogen balance and body composition of growing broiler chicks. J. Anim. Sci. 72(Suppl. 1):37. (Abstr.)
  17. Chicks were obtained from House of Raeford (Gibsland, LA).
  18. Lighting was via incandescent lights. The lighting program consisted of the first 3 d of full light, followed by 16 h of natural-artificial light and 8 h of near dark. The birds were conditioned to the dark over a 3-d period and starting on d 4 and gradually going from full light on d 3 to 4 foot-candles on d 7.
  19. Shear force was determined using a HD 250 Texture Machine (Texture Technologies Corporation, Scarsdale, NY) fitted with a Warner-Bratzler shearing device with a load cell capacity of 25 kg and a cross-head speed of 100 mm/min.
  20. SAS Institute. 2003. SAS 9.1. SAS Inst. Inc., Cary, NC.
  21. NRC. 1997. The Role of Chromium in Animal Nutrition. Natl. Acad. Press, Washington, DC.




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