Emmer wheat (Triticum dicoccum)-based intervention in Japanese quail's diet and its impact on performance, carcass yield, meat fatty acids, and fecal volatile fatty acids.

The high nutritional and nutraceutical qualities of emmer wheat make it a valuable cereal grain. The present study was designed to quantify the contribution of emmer wheat inclusion into Japanese quail's rations in terms of their productive responses, alterations in the fatty acid profile of their meat, and changes in the composition of volatile fatty acids in their feces. For this purpose, a total of 160, 1-day-old Japanese quails (Coturnix coturnix japonica) were randomly allotted to four dietary treatments (4 replicates and 10 quails/replicate) with different levels of emmer wheat including 0% (control), 5% (T5), 10% (T10), and 15% (T15). These dietary treatments were administered for a period of 35 days. The results obtained from the study showed that dietary changes led by incorporation of increasing levels of emmer wheat into quail rations had no negative impact on quail's health and production. Moreover, supplemental emmer could promote better feed conversion ratio and higher carcass yield, while it did not affect the relative weights of internal organs including liver, gizzard, and heart. In addition, the incorporation of increasing levels of emmer wheat into quail rations was characterized by a reduction in total saturated and monounsaturated fatty acids, whereas an increase was observed in the levels of total unsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids in breast meat. Emmer wheat inclusion also increased the levels of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids in breast meat. Regarding volatile fatty acid profile, a lower percentage of propionic acid while a higher percentage of acetic acid were recorded in feces of quails fed emmer wheat-based diets when compared to those fed control diets. Overall, as confirmed by the present findings, the incorporation of emmer wheat into quail diets could be proposed as a valuable strategy for the promotion of animal health and performance. More research is needed to further investigate the promising roles of using emmer wheat in poultry nutrition.