Fermented coffee cherry pulp shows promise in Thai native chickens

A new poultry nutrition study suggests fermented coffee cherry pulp could help Thai native chickens grow more efficiently while also improving some meat quality and gut health measures. In the trial, 500 day-old Thai native chicks were assigned to five diets for 12 weeks: a basal control, an antibiotic growth promoter group, or basal diets supplemented with fermented coffee cherry pulp at 0.5, 1.0, or 2.0 g/kg. The 1.0 g/kg inclusion level delivered the strongest overall performance, improving final body weight and feed conversion, while also supporting favorable shifts in cecal microbiota and selected meat quality traits, according to the paper in Animals. The study fits into a broader line of work from Chiang Mai University researchers examining coffee-processing by-products as poultry feed ingredients and potential antibiotic alternatives. (mdpi.com)

Why it matters: For veterinary professionals working with poultry systems, the study adds to the evidence that agricultural by-products rich in phenolics, including chlorogenic acid, may have practical value beyond sustainability messaging. A recent review in Veterinary Sciences says chlorogenic acid has growing support as a functional feed additive because of its links to antioxidant activity, lipid metabolism, inflammation control, intestinal barrier function, and microbiota modulation in chickens. That doesn’t make fermented coffee cherry pulp ready for broad adoption on its own, but it does strengthen the case for antibiotic-sparing nutrition strategies that may also improve gut resilience and production efficiency. (mdpi.com)

What to watch: The next question is whether these results can be replicated in commercial-scale flocks, with cost, ingredient consistency, safety, and regulatory acceptance all likely to shape real-world uptake. (mdpi.com)