Effects of selenium-chitosan on growth performance, carcass traits, meat quality, and blood indices of broiler chickens

•Effects of Se-chitosan as organic Se, Na selenite, vitamin E, and their various combinations on broiler chickens were evaluated•Selenium-chitosan as a novel Se source was a simple and cost-effective approach in improving the meat quality.•Dietary inclusion of 0.3 mg Se/kg improved the meat quality and blood indices of broiler chickens.•The inclusion of 0.3 mg Se/kg with 80 IU vitamin E/kg improved meat quality and blood indices compared to the use of Se alone. The current experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of Se-chitosan as organic Se, Na selenite, vitamin E, and their various combinations on growth performance, carcass traits, meat quality, and blood indices of broiler chickens. A total of 480 one-d-old broiler chickens were randomly assigned to the Se source (inorganic and organic), Se inclusion (0.15 and 0.30 mg/kg), and vitamin E (0 and 80 IU/kg) in a 2 × 2 × 2 factorial arrangement of treatments with 5 pens per treatment and 12 broiler chickens per pen. Broiler chickens fed 0.30 mg Se/kg had a greater body weight gain and a lower feed conversion ratio at 11 to 24 d (P < 0.05). The relative weight of the liver was lower in broiler chickens fed diets supplemented with 0.30 mg Se/kg at 21 d (P < 0.05). Broiler chickens fed diets supplemented with Se-chitosan or 0.30 mg Se/kg had lower thiobarbituric acid reactive substances, drip loss, and cooking loss and greater water holding capacity (WHC) values in muscles (P < 0.05). The yellowness of the broiler chicken muscle fed diets supplemented by Se-chitosan was greater (P < 0.05). In addition, an interaction between Se inclusion rate and vitamin E was observed for WHC in breast and thigh meat, so that broiler chickens fed 0.30 mg Se/kg plus vitamin E had a greater WHC compared to other treatments (P < 0.05). The broiler chickens fed diets supplemented by 0.30 mg Se/kg had greater total protein and albumin concentrations and lower concentrations of aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, and alkaline phosphatase (P < 0.05). In addition, alkaline phosphatase activity was lower for broiler chickens fed diets supplemented with vitamin E (P < 0.05). In addition, broiler chickens fed 0.30 mg Se/kg plus vitamin E had the greater total protein concentrations compared to other treatments, while greater concentrations of aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase were observed in broiler chickens fed 0.15 mg Se/kg without vitamin E (P < 0.05). Dietary supplements did not affec