Dietary Turmeric Powder and Its Effect on Broiler Growth, Carcass Traits and Gut Morphology

Abstract

Ground turmeric, the dried rhizome of Curcuma longa, is a popular candidate for replacing antibiotic growth promoters in broiler diets, and it is often said to improve growth, carcass quality and the structure of the small intestine. This mini review asks how firm those claims are. It draws on published work on the chemistry of curcuminoids, on their poor uptake and rapid metabolism, on broiler trials with turmeric or curcumin, and on the design and reporting of feeding experiments, and it presents no new data. The plausible routes of action are an improved digestive environment, antioxidant protection and a gentler load on the gut mucosa, yet each depends on how much active material actually reaches the bird, and that quantity is seldom measured. Turmeric products differ in curcuminoid content, trials describe doses in incompatible ways, and small positive reports are more likely to be published than null ones. Framing turmeric as a substitute for antibiotics adds a further strain, because the comparison is rarely made within one trial. The review concludes that a modest benefit is plausible under some conditions, that its size is not established, and it lists the reporting that a convincing broiler trial would need.