EFFECT OF FEEDING MENTHA PULEGIUM L. POWDER ON EGG QUALITY CHARACTERISTICS AND CHOLESTEROL VALUE OF LAYING JAPANESE QUAILS

The aim of this experiment was to evaluate the effect of feeding Mentha pulegium L. leaf powder on egg quality indexes and cholesterol content of laying quails. 150 one-day-old Japanese quail were used with 5 treatments, 3 replicates and 10 quail per replicate in a completely randomized design, then fed with experimental diets for 12 weeks. The diets were consisted of control diet and diets containing 0.5, 1, 1.5 and 2 % Mentha pulegium powder. In the end of trial, the egg quality parameters and cholesterol content were measured. The results revealed that diets containing Mentha pulegium caused to improvement haugh unit, yolk index, white weight, egg shell thickness and resistance (p<0.05), but the egg weight, egg shape index, yolk index, white weight percentage, yolk weight, yolk weight percentage and percentage of shell weight were not influenced by experimental diets (p>0.05). The highest haugh unit (89.63) was for diet containing 2 % Mentha pulegium. The using of Mentha pulegium in laying quail diet resulted in decrease egg cholesterol in compared with the control diet (p<0.05). It is concluded that the inclusion Mentha pulegium to 2 % in laying quail diet had beneficial effects on some egg indexes and decreasing of cholesterol, therefore it is recommended that Mentha pulegium to be used at 2 % level in nutrition of laying quail.