Potential impacts of dietary inclusion of green tea (Camellia sinensis L.) in poultry feeding: a review

This paper reviews the use of green tea (Camellia sinensis L.) in poultry diets in particular, drawing together the findings of various recent studies, in which attention has been paid to the role of green tea in improving the health of animals and humans. Green tea improved feed intake, final body weight, and nutrient use efficiency and could be used as growth promoter in place of antibiotics. Furthermore, green tea improved immunity against coccidiosis, Newcastle disease, decreased plasma low-density lipoprotein, and decreased serum cholesterol. Animal product quality was improved through decreased meat peroxidation, reduced abdominal fat, improved meat quality, and increased chemical composition of meat. Similarly, egg yolk cholesterol was decreased, egg yolk color was improved, and there was increase in yolk alpha-tocopherol. In quail, green tea improved the intestinal weight, decreased plasma low-density lipoprotein, egg yolk cholesterol, increased edible parts of egg, and improved feed intake and weight gain. Results about green tea showed that it could be supplemented in the diet of broiler, layers, and quail with positive result. This information will be useful for poultry nutritionists, although studies that are more detailed are still needed to prove the effect of green tea on poultry feeding in different situations.