EFFECT OF GRADED-LEVELS OF ETHOXYQUIN IN ALFALFA LEAF EXTRACTS ON CAROTENOID AND CHOLESTEROL CONCENTRATIONS IN CHICKS

Alfalfa leaf extract treated with graded levels of ethoxyquin was inco rporated into a casein diet at a level of about 50 g kg(-1). The six l eaf extracts contained 0, 956, 2435, 6777, 11316, 25150 mg kg(-1) etho xyquin and gave final concentrations of 0, 50, 125, 350, 600, and 1400 mg kg(-1) in the diet, respectively, Each diet was supplemented with methionine, arginine and glycine and contained 120 g crude protein kg( -1) and a similar lever of energy. Seven-day old chicks were allocated to six treatments (n = 8) and fed the above experimental diets for 2 weeks. Dietary ethoxyquin up to 125 mg kg(-1) improved body weight gai n from 88 to 98 g and gain per feed from 0.44 to 0.46 although the dif ferences were not significant. However, levels of ethoxyquin in the di et higher than 350 mg kg(-1) significantly reduced both the body weigh t gain and gain per feed; these were 79 g and 0.41, respectively, in c hicks fed the diet containing 1400 mg ethoxyquin kg(-1). Plasma choles terol level was significantly reduced from 209 with the control diet ( containing 0 mg kg(-1) ethoxyquin) to 157 mg dl(-1) with the diet cont aining 50 mg kg(-1) ethoxyquin. It was also lower with 125 mg kg(-1) e thoxyquin than with the control diet, but higher levels of dietary eth oxyquin increased plasma cholesterol compared with that obtained with the control diet. Carotenoid concentration in the skin, liver and bloo d plasma were linearly reduced with the increase of ethoxyquin intake from 30.2, 75.0 and 38.4 mu g g(-1) at 0 mg intake to 19.2, 30.3 and 2 3.7 mu g g(-1) at 1400 mg ethoxyquin kg(-1) diet, respectively.