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The effects of replacing soybean meal (SBM) with graded levels of morula kernel cake (MKC) on growth performance and haemo-biochemical parameters in broiler chickens were studied. Four isonitrogenous and iso-caloric diets were formulated by replacing the SBM component at 0, 40, 80 and 120 g/kg with MKC as protein source in grower and finisher diets. One hundred and sixty 2-week-old chicks were randomly allocated to the treatments, which were replicated five times (eight birds/pen). Growth performance and blood parameters were measured. Results showed that neither linear nor quadratic trends were observed for weekly feed intake (WFI), weekly weight gain (WWG), weekly feed conversion ratio (WFCR), and growth performance with MKC levels. However, packed cell volume (PCV) quadratically decreased (Y=37.4±1.2+1.4±0.5+0.13±0.03X²; R2=0.39; p=0.005) with MKC levels, heterophils increased (y=50.9±1.8+1.18±0.73x; R2=0.35, p=0.009) while lymphocytes decreased linearly (y=40.7±1.67-1.42±0.67x; R2=0.35, p=0.02) with MKC levels. There was a linear decrease (Y=0.81±0.02-0.01±0.01x; R2=0.2895; p=0.02) in magnesium while phosphorus increased quadratically with MKC levels. Quadratic trends (Y=17.2±0.6+0.7±0.2+0.04±0.02X²; R2=0.47; p=0.05) were also observed in iron as MKC levels increased. All the parameters of blood biochemistry fell within the normal range for birds. The present results indicate that inclusion of MKC up to 120 g/kg does not result in adverse effects on diet utilisation, growth performance, and health status of Ross 308 broiler chickens, indicating that MKC has the potential to be used as an alternative protein source to SBM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Seaweeds are functional feed ingredients with putative growth-stimulating and meat quality-enhancing effects. • Effectiveness of exogenous fibrolytic enzyme pre-treatment in enhancing seaweed feed value was investigated. • Fibrolytic enzymes did not improve feed intake, physiological parameters, and meat quality in broiler chickens. Seaweeds are functional feed sources that contain biocompounds with growth-stimulating, antimicrobial and meat-enhancing properties. However, the presence of non-starch polysaccharides such as cellulose, hemicellulose, pectin and xylan may limit its utilization in broiler diets. Thus, this study evaluated the effects of pre-treating dietary green seaweed (Ulva sp.) with a fibrolytic enzyme mixture on physiological and meat quality parameters of Cobb 500 broiler chickens. Three hundred and thirty, two-week old male chicks (318.9 ± 16.12 g live weight) were evenly and randomly placed in 30 replicate pens (experimental units) to which five isonitrogenous and isoenergetic diets were randomly allotted. Experimental diets were commercial grower and finisher diets containing seaweed pre-treated with a fibrolytic enzyme mixture of cellulase, hemi-cellulase, arabanase, β -glucanase and xylanase, at the rate of 0 (EZ0), 2.0 (EZ20), 5.0 (EZ50), 7.5 (EZ75) and 12.0 g/kg (EZ120). Growth performance, blood indices, visceral organs, and carcass and meat quality parameters were determined. No week × diet interaction effect (P > 0.05) on average weekly feed intake (FI), body weight gain (BWG), and feed conversion efficiency (FCE) was observed. Neither linear nor quadratic trends (P > 0.05) were observed for overall FI, growth performance, haematological and serum biochemical parameters as well as visceral organ weights in response to incremental levels of fibrolytic enzyme pre-treatment of seaweed. However, there was a linear increase in hot [R2 = 0.176, P = 0.033] and cold [R2 = 0.164, P = 0.040] carcass weights in response to increased enzyme pre-treatment rates. Breast meat lightness measured immediately after slaughter (L * i) linearly decreased [R2 = 0.147, P = 0.022] as enzyme levels increased. Diets with enzyme-treated seaweed promoted higher (P< 0.05) carcass weights compared to the untreated seaweed-containing control diet. It was concluded that pre-treatment of seaweed meal with an exogenous fibrolytic enzyme mixture did not improve growth performance, blood parameters, and meat quality traits in broiler chickens. An optimum fibrolytic enzyme treatment level for seaweed could not be determined, suggesting a need to investigate levels beyond the maximum treatment level of 12 g/kg used in this study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]