Development of a Turmeric-Ginger-Teak Delivery Form to Improve Egg Quality and Promote Liver Health in Commercial Layers

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of mash and encapsulated Turmeric-Ginger-Teak extracts on liver enzyme activity and the internal quality of eggs. An in vivo experiment was conducted using a completely randomized design (CRD) with a nested pattern, involving two feed forms: mash and encapsulated. Each factor included five levels of additive: T0 (basal feed without additive), T1 (basal feed + 0.2% additive), T2 (basal feed + 0.4% additive), T3 (basal feed + 0.6% additive), and T4 (basal feed + 0.8% additive). Each treatment level was replicated four times. The measured variables included enzyme activities, i.e., Alkaline Phosphatase (ALP), Alanine Aminotransferase (ALT), and Aspartate Aminotransferase (AST), as well as internal egg quality traits such as egg white weight (EWW), egg yolk weight (EYW), yolk color (YC), egg white viscosity (EWV), Haugh unit (HU), and egg mass (EM). Data were analyzed using Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), followed by Duncan’s Multiple Range Test for post-hoc comparisons. The results showed that the additive form had no effect on enzyme levels and layer performance, except for ALT that had lower level in encapsulated than mash form (p < 0.01). At level-wise point of view, ALT levels significantly decreased in T3 and T4 with the encapsulated form (p < 0.05), but not with the mash form. Both forms increased EYW and EYC, while EM was improved only by the encapsulated form. It is concluded that the encapsulated herbal extract can serve as a potential alternative to natural antibiotics as a feed additive.