eprintid: 1362 rev_number: 7 eprint_status: archive userid: 2 source: Scopus dir: disk0/00/00/13/62 datestamp: 2025-04-24 12:51:56 lastmod: 2025-04-24 12:51:56 status_changed: 2025-04-24 12:51:56 type: article metadata_visibility: show creators_name: Bhawa, Shame creators_name: Moreki, John Cassius creators_name: Manyeula, Freddy title: EFFECT OF GRADED LEVELS OF DIETARY TOMATO WASTE ON PERFORMANCE AND CARCASS CHARACTERISTICS OF JAPANESE QUAIL REARED UNDER INTENSIVE SYSTEM ispublished: pub subjects: SF divisions: j11 full_text_status: public keywords: Carcass characteristics; Dietary replacements; Growth performance; Japanese quails; Tomato waste abstract: This study was carried out to evaluate the effects of partial replacement of soybean meal (SM) with tomato waste (TW) in Japanese quail diets on the resulting yield, internal organs, and carcass characteristics. Eighty unsexed 1-day-old chicks were housed in battery cages with cardboard boxes used as solid floors and randomly assigned to 1 of 4 dietary groups, 46.2 SM, 44.2 SM + 2 TW, 42.2 SM + 4 TW, or 40.2 SM + 6 TW, over a 6 weeks growth period. Yields and carcass characteristics were then determined. Data were analysed using the General Linear Model (GLM) procedures followed by a response procedure for surface regression analysis (Proc RSREG; SAS 9.4) to describe the parameters’ responses to graded levels of dietary tomato waste. Repeated measures analysis showed significant week × diet interaction effects on feed intake (FI, P = 0.03), body weight gain (WG, P = 0.0006), feed conversion ratio (FCR, P = 0.002), protein efficient ratio (P = 0.0001), and growth efficiency (P = 0.0001). By supplementing the diets of quails with a 2 inclusion level, a diet significantly affected quails’ FI on weeks 1, 2, 3, and 6. A diet containing 2 TW significantly affected live weight (LW), hot carcass weight (HCW), and cold-dressed weight (CDW). It is concluded that the dietary supplementation with 44.2 SM + 2 TW seemed ideal for optimum performance in Japanese quails based on the insignificant change in feed intake and growth efficiency results compared to 46.2 SM for weeks 1 and 2. Further research is needed on the application method that could be used to enhance the utilization of tomato waste in Japanese quails. © The Author(s) 2025 date: 2025-01-30 publication: Online Journal of Animal and Feed Research volume: 15 number: 1 publisher: Scienceline Publication pagerange: 47 – 59 id_number: 10.51227/ojafr.2025.7 refereed: TRUE issn: 2228-7701 official_url: https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-86000038199&doi=10.51227%2fojafr.2025.7&partnerID=40&md5=e10800bbbf9ca739e361aa67490650a4 j_index: scopus citation: (2025) EFFECT OF GRADED LEVELS OF DIETARY TOMATO WASTE ON PERFORMANCE AND CARCASS CHARACTERISTICS OF JAPANESE QUAIL REARED UNDER INTENSIVE SYSTEM. Online Journal of Animal and Feed Research. 47 – 59. ISSN 2228-7701 document_url: http://eprints.science-line.com/id/eprint/1362/1/OJAFR15%281%2947-59%2C2025.pdf