Research Article Tissue tocopherol status, meat lipid stability, and serum lipids in broiler chickens fed Artemisia annua Arun K. Panda and Gita Cherian Department of Animal and Rangeland Sciences, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR Growing consumer concern about the use of synthetic feed additives, there is elevated interest in using phytogenic compounds in poultry feeds. The effect of Artemisia annua (A. annua) in broiler diets on tissue tocopherols, lipid peroxidation products, serum triglycerides, and non-esterified fatty acids were determined. It is hypothesized that dietary A. annua will enhance tocopherols and will reduce lipid peroxidation products in chicken meat. Broiler chicks (n ¼ 52) were fed corn-soy diets containing 0 (Control) or 2% dried A. annua leaves (ART). Dietary ART led to increase in g-, a-, and total tocopherols in muscle and liver (P < 0.0001). A three- and fourfold increase in g-, a- tocopherol compared to Control was found in breast muscle of chickens fed ART (P < 0.001). No increase in a- tocopherol was found in serum, whereas, g-tocopherol increased in the serum of chicken fed ART (P < 0.001). Lipid peroxidation products measured as thiobarbituric acid reactive substances, were lower in the muscle and serum of birds fed ART than Control (P < 0.0001). Even serum triglycerides and non-esterified fatty acids were lower in such birds ART (P < 0.001). No difference was found in total fat, saturated or n-6 and n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid content of liver and muscle (P > 0.05). No difference was observed in body weight, relative weight of liver, heart, spleen, and bursa. A. annua may prove useful as a natural phytogenic feed additive with antioxidant potential that could be incorporated into poultry diets and such meat could serve as an alternate route for providing vitamin E in human diets. Practical applications: Consumers are interested in buying meat from chickens fed plant-based phytogenic products. A. annua is rich sources of natural antioxidants. Feeding A. annua led to tocopherol enrichment while enhancing the lipid stability in poultry meat. A. annua may be used a functional feed additive in poultry rations. Keywords: Antioxidants / Artemisia annua / Thiobarbituric acid reactive substances / Tocopherol Received: September 2, 2015 / Revised: April 28, 2016 / Accepted: April 29, 2016 DOI: 10.1002/ejlt.201500438 1 Introduction Consumer preference, availability, nutrient profile, ease of preparation, and low cost make chicken meat a major source of animal food protein worldwide. Poultry meat is rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) and is low in natural antioxidants [1, 2]. Therefore, poultry meat is susceptible to quality deterioration by lipid peroxidation. The rate of lipid peroxidation in meat depend on various internal factors such as fat content, fatty acid composition, level of antioxidants, heme pigment, and iron contents [3, 4]. The end products of lipid peroxidation process impair color, aroma, flavor, and texture of meat and reduce nutritive value and consumer acceptance [5]. Antioxidants are added as feed additives to control lipid peroxidation in prepared feeds as well as harvested products. In broiler diets, vitamin E (e.g., a-tocopherol) is one of the most commonly used antioxidant for enhancing bird health and product quality. Dietary tocopherol is deposited in tissues where it protects the cell membrane integrity by inhibiting the oxidation of PUFA-rich phospholipids [6, 7]. A downside of vitamin E is its high cost, which increases the broiler production cost. In addition, due to its synthetic nature, bio-efficiency problems, and uneven distribution in tissues, cost effective Correspondence: Dr. Gita Cherian, Department of Animal and Rangeland Sciences, Oregon State University, 122-Withycombe Hall, Corvallis 97331, Oregon E-mail: gita.cherian@oregonstate.edu Fax: þ15417374174 Abbreviations: ART, artemisia annua; NEFA, nonesterified fatty acids; PUFA, polyunsaturated fatty acids; TBARS, thiobarbituric acid reactive substances Eur. J. Lipid Sci. Technol. 2016, 118, 0000–0000 1 www.ejlst.com ß 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim