Inclusion of a microencapsulated pepper, cashew nut, and copaiba essential oils blend in broiler feed: evaluation of performance and nutrient metabolizability.

The study evaluated whether including pepper, cashew nut, and copaiba essential oils blend (EOB) in broiler feed positively influences performance and nutrient metabolizability. Birds of the Cobb® lineage were distributed in a completely randomized design in a factorial scheme (2 × 2 + 1), with five treatments: a control diet (Control) with antibiotic growth promoter (AGP); a diet without AGP with 300 g/t of EOB (EOB 300), a diet without AGP with 500 g/t of EOB (EOB 500), a diet with synergy between AGP and 300 g/t of EOB (Sy 300), and a diet with synergy between AGP and 500 g/t of EOB (Sy 500). The results indicated that the treatment with 300 g/t of EOB, with or without AGP, provided better feed conversion ratio and metabolizability coefficients of crude protein, ether extract, and ash. In conclusion, the phytogenic additive based on essential oils can be an alternative to replace antibiotic growth promoter, as its inclusion provides better zootechnical performance and nutrient metabolizability in broiler production.