Effects of Organic Selenium Supplementation on Broiler Antioxidant Status, Immune Response, and Meat Quality in Nigeria

This study investigates the effects of organic selenium supplementation on antioxidant status, cellular immunity, humoral immune response, and breast meat quality in broiler chickens under Nigerian tropical conditions. Selenium is an essential trace element with critical functions in antioxidant defence systems and immune competence. Heat stress in tropical environments increases oxidative stress in poultry, creating elevated selenium requirements. Nigeria's poultry feeds are predominantly formulated with inorganic sodium selenite, and the comparative benefits of organic selenomethionine have not been investigated under local conditions. This study uses a completely randomised design with six dietary selenium treatments: control with no selenium addition, inorganic Se at 0.15, 0.30, and 0.45 milligrams per kilogram, and organic selenomethionine at 0.15 and 0.30 milligrams per kilogram, fed to 216 Ross 308 broilers in groups of 36. Serum superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, malondialdehyde, total antioxidant capacity, Newcastle disease vaccine response titre, lymphocyte counts, breast meat selenium concentration, and meat oxidative stability during refrigerated storage are measured. Findings reveal that organic selenomethionine at 0.30 milligrams per kilogram significantly outperforms inorganic selenium at equivalent level in glutathione peroxidase activity, HI antibody titre after ND vaccination, and breast meat selenium retention (182 versus 94 micrograms per kilogram). Meat oxidative stability is highest in organic selenium groups after 7 days of refrigeration. The study contributes original organic versus inorganic selenium comparison data for Nigerian broilers and recommends organic selenomethionine at 0.30 milligrams per kilogram as the superior selenium source for tropical broiler diets.

Keywords: organic selenium, broiler chickens, antioxidant status, immune response, Nigeria.