The present study was carried out at Instructional Poultry farm, Govind Ballabh Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Pantnagar. Uttarakhand, India. A total of 120, day-old commercial broiler chicks (Ven Cobb 400 strain) were procured from R. K. poultry, Bajpur, Uttarakhand and randomly divided into 4treatment groups with three replicates having 10 chicks in each replicate. The broiler chicks were housed in a deep litter system and provide ad lib. Starter (0-3 weeks) and finisher (3-6 weeks) feeds (Table 1) and water throughout the trail period of 0-42 days to all the broiler chicks so as to meet the nutrient requirements as per BIS (2007). The basal diet was analyzed for proximate principles as per standard methods (AOAC, 2000). The broiler chicks were raised in a deep litter system under standard management condition.

Blood sample were collected from six experimental birds of each group i.e., two broiler chicks from each replicate. For haematological parameters, 3.0 ml blood were collected from the wing vein with sterile needle into well labeled blood collecting test tubes containing EDTA as anticoagulant while for analysis of biochemical parameters, blood samples were collected in sterile tubes without anticoagulant for collection of serum. The serum was separated by centrifugation at 2000 rpm for ten minutes and stored at−20^oC until further analysis. The haematological parameters viz., haemoglobin, packed cell volume, mean corpuscular volume, mean corpuscular haemoglobin and mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration in blood were estimated as per the methods described by Sharma and Singh (2000) whereas total erythrocyte count and total leucocyte count were done using Neubauer’s chamber Jain (1986). The Serum cholesterol (Tietz, 1998), triglycerides McGowan et al. (1983) and (Fossati, and Prencipe 1969), glucose (Sacks, 1998), total protein albumin (Johnson et al., 1999). Were determined using Erba Diagnostic Kits. The activity of serum alanine amino transferase (ALT), aspartate amino transferase (AST) was estimated by using Ecoline Diagnostic kits using the methods of (Bergmeyer et al., 1986).

The carcass characteristics were studied on 6 broiler chicks from each group i.e., 2 chicks from each replicate slaughtered at the end pf feeding trails. The live weight and individual weight after slaughter of chicks was recorded and based on these data, dressing weight, weight of cut up parts and giblets were calculated. Proximate composition (moisture, fat and protein) of broiler meat was determined (AOAC, 2000). The sensory quality of meat samples was evaluated by meat descriptive analysis method (Keeton and Feeding, 1984).

The experimental data obtained during the study were analyzed statistically using completely randomized design with the simple analysis of variance (ANOVA) technique (Snedecor and Cochran, 1994).

The values of haematological and serum biochemical parameters have been presented in Table 2. There was no significant difference (P<0.05) in haematological parameters viz., haemoglobin, packed cell volume, total erythrocyte count, total leucocyte count, mean corpuscular volume, mean corpuscular haemoglobin and mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration among different treatment group. The haematological parameters in various group were similar and in the normal range Zomrawi et al. (2011, 2013) and Mangal (2016).

The mean serum cholesterol concentration in group T_2, T₃ and T₄ was lower (P<0.05) as compared to control (T₁). The reduction in serum cholesterol concentration due to dietary aniseed and ginger rhizome powder might be due to the possible mechanism of hypocholestrolaemic action of active principles present in ginger rhizome powder which stimulate hepatic cholesterol-7-hydroxylase enzyme which converts cholesterol to bile acids, facilitating the biliary cholesterol excretion Babu and Srinivasan (1997). Similar resultswere also reported by Jamel et al. (2010), Khajeali et al. (2012) and Al-Shammari et al. (2017). The serum triglycerides concentration reduced non-significantly in (T₃), (T₂) and (T₄) group respectively, as compared tocontrol (T₁). These observations corroborated with those of Christaki et al. (2011), Barazesh et al. (2013), Zomrawi et al. (2013), Mohammed et al. (2014) and Mangal (2016) where in dietary aniseed and ginger powder supplementation did not affect significantly on serum triglycerides level which was in accordance with the results of present study. The serum total protein, albumin, globulin and albumin: globulin ratio of broiler chicks was not influenced by dietary aniseed and ginger rhizome powder incorporation. However, AlShammari et al. (2017) and Zomrawi et al. (2011) reported that ginger and aniseed powder significant effect on serum triglycerides level.

There were no significant influence of aniseed and ginger rhizome powder in the diet of broiler chicks on the activities of Serum glutamate pyruvate transaminase, serum glutamate oxaloacetate transaminase and ALP enzymes. These enzymes are a relatively specific indicator of acute liver cell damage and pathological manifestation of liver dysfunction Toghyani et al. (2011). The results are similar with the findings of Soltan et al. (2008) and Georgi et al. (2015b) who reported that dietary aniseed and ginger rhizome powder did not show significant effect on SGPT and SGOT enzymes activity. Georgi et al. (2015a) also reported that inclusion of ginger powder to broiler chickens diet had no significant effect on ALP enzyme activity.

The carcass characteristics viz., dressing percentage and cut-up parts viz., neck, wing, back, breast, thigh and drumstick and organs weights such as heart, liver and spleen were found statistically similar among the different treatment’s groups (Table 3). However, there was significant difference in the gizzard weight as per cent of live weight among different treatment groups of broilers. The gizzard weight in broilers fed diets incorporated with 0.50% aniseed + 0.50% ginger rhizome powder T₄ was significantly maximum (2.40%) and it was minimum (1.99%) in control group of broiler chicks. Similar to the present findings, Ebrahimnezhad et al. (2014), Huda (2015) and Mangal (2016) reported that ginger rhizome powder supplementation in the diet of broiler chicks had no significant effect on carcass characteristics. Simsek et al. (2007) reported that aniseed powder had significant effect on carcass characteristics of broiler chickens. They found significant improvement in hot and cold carcass yield and gizzard and liver weights due to supplementation of anise oil in the diet of broiler chicks, whereas other parameters for carcass characteristics were not affected. On the contrary, Soltan et al. (2008), Amad et al. (2011), Hamdan and Mukhtar (2017) reported that aniseed powder had significant effect on dressing percentage and commercial carcass cut-up parts (breast, drumstick and thigh) of broiler chickens. Eltazi (2014a) found improved dressing percentage and commercial carcass cut-up parts (breast, drumstick and thigh) by using ginger powder as a feed additive at the level of 1% in the diet of broiler chickens.

The dry matter content of breast and thigh muscles of broilers were not influenced by aniseed and ginger rhizome powder incorporation in the diet of broilers (Table 3). However, there was significantly (P<0.05) influenced by ginger rhizome powder supplementation (T₂ and T₄) in basal diets. The ether extract contents of breast muscles of treatment groups T₁, T₂, T₃ and T₄ were 4.25, 7.98, 5.07 and 5.53 per cent on dry matter basis, respectively. The mean crude protein content in thigh muscles of broiler chickens was significantly (P<0.05) influenced by ginger rhizome powder supplementation (T₃ and T₄) in basal diets. The crude protein content of thigh muscles in broilers of different treatment groups T₁, T₂, T₃ and T₄ was 64.33, 66.51, 73.82 and 70.05 per cent, respectively, on dry matter basis. Significantly maximum crude protein content was recorded in treatment group T₃ followed by T₄ and minimum in T₁. The aniseed powder supplementation had no significant effect on crude protein content of thigh muscles. The results of this study are in concurrence with those of Mangal (2016) who revealed that dietary incorporation of ginger rhizome powder resulted in significantly higher protein content in thigh muscle of broiler meat compared with control group.

Sensory characteristics viz., appearance, flavour, texture and overall acceptability of meat did not differ significantly among various treatment (Table 4). However, the juiciness of broilers meat showed significant difference among the different treatment groups due to supplementation of aniseed and ginger rhizome powder. The juiciness of meat of broilers was 6.56, 6.31, 6.37 and 6.31, respectively, in treatment groups T₁, T₂, T₃ and T₄ which showed decreasing effect in juiciness of meat due to inclusion of aniseed and ginger rhizome powder alone or in combination in comparison to control group. Which is in agreement with the findings of Huda (2015) and Mangal (2016) reported that adding ginger powder to the basal experimental diet of broiler chicks did not affect sensory characteristics of broiler meat. Eltazi (2014b) found that increased tenderness score of both thigh and breast muscles due to aniseed powder inclusion in the diet as compared to control group of broiler chicks.

It could be concluded that incorporation of aniseed and ginger rhizome power of feed of broiler chicks reduced serum cholesterol and triglyceride contents and improved broiler meat quality by increasing protein content in thigh muscle without inducing any abnormal colour or flavour.