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Health of chickens

Apple scraps can be fed to chickens to improve their health, according to Cornell University researchers. The study, in the opinion of the experts, shows that apple pomace has the potential to enhance gut and intestinal health.

Apples are one of the most popular fruits grown in the US, and Cydney Jackson, the study's primary author, said that we have long known about their health advantages.

We were able to observe in our study how an apple, specifically the Empire apple created at Cornell in the 1940s, benefited the intestinal health of producing broilers, and we observed signals for the bird's general well-being.

The scientists used chicken eggs to test Empire apple juice, pulp, and other trash for the investigation. The scientists gathered samples for study once the eggs hatched.

The outcomes demonstrated that the apple pomace promoted the growth of potentially advantageous gut bacteria, increased large intestinal microorganisms, enhanced iron bioavailability, and enhanced the chick's transport mechanism for amino acids.

According to Professor Elad Tako, the study's principal author, apples include bioactive components including phytochemicals and prebiotics that may benefit intestinal health and the gut flora.

As stated by the U.S. According to the Apple Association, 33.4 million bushels of apples and about 175,350 metric tonnes of apple pomace were produced in 2021–2022. Usually, this garbage is thrown into landfills, where it harms the environment.

"Pomace is now handled like commercial garbage. If the pomace, which is nutrient-rich, can be used in some way, we can feed it to the broilers, suggested Professor Tako. We can increase the nutritional value of their feed, increase productivity naturally, and perhaps even need less extra dietary additives.

The researchers pointed out that this was just a preliminary investigation into the viability of incorporating apple trash into poultry diet. They claimed that more investigation was required, including long-term studies.

The National Institute of Food and Agriculture contributed funding for the study. The research was written up in the journal Nutrients.