NUTRITIONAL EFFECT OF CHLOROGENIC ACID FED TO GROWING BROILER CHICKS

Experimental purified diets with supplemental chlorogenic acid (0, 2, 4 and 6 g kg(-1)) were given to 25-day-old chicks for a period of 3 da ys; these levels of chlorogenic acid were approximately similar to tho se of diets containing 0, 100, 200 and 300 g kg(-1) ground sunflower s eed. The excreta were collected quantitatively, and at the end of the experimental period the chicks were killed and the ileal digesta colle cted. No significant differences in food intake, crude protein, crude fat and starch digestibilities were found among chick groups. The pres ence of chlorogenic acid in the diet significantly affected neither th e metabolisable energy value nor the individual ileal amino acid diges tibility. These results indicate that dietary chlorogenic acid at a lo wer concentration than 6 g kg(-1) did not measurably affect the nutrit ional quality of diet. (C) 1998 SCI.