Possible effects of sesame (sesamum indicum) on yield,egg quality criteria, lipid oxidation and antioxidant activity in laying hens

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of sesame seed (SS) on yield performance, egg quality, yolk lipid oxidation and antioxidant activity in laying hens. A total of 40 laying hens of 22 weeks of age were divided into 4 groups, each group consisted of 10 animals. The groups were formed as follows: (i) standard compound feed, (ii) standard compound feed + 5 g/kg SS, (iii) standard compound feed + 10 g/kg SS and (iv) standard compound feed + 20 g/kg SS. As a result of the experiment, feed consumption, egg production and feed conversion ratio of laying hens were not affected in any way (P>0.05), and in terms of egg internal and external quality characteristics, egg width and wet shell weight at the end of the experiment (8th week) gave higher values compared to the control group (P<0.05). It was determined that there was no difference between the groups in terms of TBARS and DPPH analyses on the 7th, 14th and 28th days in egg yolk (P>0,05). As a result, it can be concluded that there is a need for further studies with sesame seed and its by-products, which have a very rich content and have the capacity to be an alternative feed additive.