Dietary sesame seed supplementation enhances productive performance, antioxidant status, serum lipids, gut morphology, and pathogen load in Rhode Island Red laying hens

This study investigated the effects of supplementation of dietary sesame seed (SS) on the performance, egg quality, serum biochemical profile, intestinal morphology, and microbial load of Rhode Island Red laying hens. A total of 240 Rhode Island Red hens (30 weeks old) were assigned to four dietary treatments in a completely randomized design for fifteen weeks, where sesame seed was incorporated at 0, 10, 15, or 20 g/kg in isonitrogenous diets. Performance parameters were recorded daily, egg quality was assessed biweekly, and blood, fecal, and intestinal samples were collected at the end of the trial for biochemical, microbiological, and histomorphological analyses. Partial substitution of soybean meal with sesame seed significantly (P < 0.05) improved daily and weekly egg production, hen-day egg production, and feed conversion ratio, with the highest replacement level (20 g/kg) yielding the greatest enhancement. Egg quality characteristics were not influenced by dietary treatment. The serum lipid profile improved significantly (P < 0.05), as sesame-based replacement reduced total and LDL cholesterol while increasing HDL cholesterol. Antioxidant status was also enhanced (P < 0.05), as indicated by increased SOD, GPx, and total antioxidant capacity, although MDA levels remained unaffected. Furthermore, soybean meal replacement with sesame seed reduced (P < 0.05) fecal Salmonella and Escherichia coli counts and improved (P < 0.05) duodenal morphology, reflected by shallower crypt depths and higher villus-to-crypt ratios. Overall, sesame seed up to 20 g/kg enhanced productivity, antioxidant defense, lipid metabolism and pathogen reduction without compromising egg quality, highlighting sesame seed as a viable alternative protein source in layer diets.