Nutritional and physiological responses of broiler chickens to dietary supplementation with de-oiled soyabean lecithin at different metabolisable energy levels and various fat sources

Abstract

A 42-d study was conducted to investigate the effects of an emulsifier supplementation (de-oiled soyabean lecithin (DSL)) of diets with different levels of metabolisable energy (ME) and various sources of fat on growth performance, nutrient digestibility, blood profile and jejunal morphology of broiler chickens. Diets were arranged factorially (2 × 2 × 2) and consisted of two concentrations of ME (normal and low), two fat sources (soyabean oil (SO) and poultry fat (PF)) and two levels of DSL supplementation (0 and 1 g/kg). A total of 800 1-d-old male broiler chickens were assigned to eight treatments with five replicates/treatment. The results showed the supplemental DSL caused improvements in the overall feed conversion ratio, fat digestibility and jejunal villus height:crypt depth ratio, but the magnitude of the responses was greater in the PF-containing diets, resulting in significant fat × DSL interactions (P<0·05). Abdominal fat percentage was also reduced by the PF-containing diet, but the response was greater in the normal ME diet, resulting in a significant ME × fat interaction (P = 0·048). Dietary DSL supplementation also increased nitrogen-corrected apparent ME values but decreased blood TAG (P = 0·041) and LDL (P = 0·049) concentrations, regardless of the source of fat used or the ME values in the diet. In conclusion, the present study suggests that the improvements in growth performance, fat digestibility and intestinal morphology that can be achieved with DSL supplementation are highly dependent on the degree of saturation of lipid incorporated into broiler chicken diets.

Effects of an emulsifier blend supplementation on growth performance, nutrient digestibility, intestinal morphology, and muscle fatty acid profile of broiler chickens fed with different levels of energy and protein

“…These findings also indicate that a higher dietary dose of EB (2 g/kg) was superior to a lower dose (1 g/kg) in terms of nutrient digestibility and AMEn when applied to low-energy diets, whereas the addition of EB to a normal-energy diet would not have an additional beneficial effect on nutrient digestibility. Previously published studies ( Majdolhosseini et al, 2019 ; Haetinger et al, 2021 ; Nemati et al, 2021 ) indicated that emulsion increased the AMEn value and digestibility coefficients of dry matter, energy, and crude fat in various poultry species, which is consistent with the findings of the current study. Siyal et al (2017) also found that exogenous nutritional emulsifiers, such as lysolecithin, may aid in fatty acid digestion, particularly in the presence of poorly digested lipids and high fat intake rates.…”

“…Dietary emulsifiers may enhance the emulsification process, including the stabilization and clearance of the lipid droplet surface by bile salts, so that lipase can attach to the interphase ( Siyal et al, 2017 ). The addition of an emulsifier to the diet may also help to improve the adsorption-desorption equilibrium, which is affected by amphiphilic molecules such as fats, phospholipids, and proteins ( Majdolhosseini et al, 2019 ). As a result, the modifications caused by the exogenous emulsifier may increase the nutrient absorption across the enterocyte membrane, resulting in a greater nutrient bioavailability of the feed.…”

“…According to Majdolhosseini et al (2019) , the following equation was used to calculate the AMEn value: …”

“…Minimizing feed costs in poultry production requires new research on strategies to reduce ME and CP intake without compromising performance or health ( Brickett et al, 2007 ). Increased fat digestibility may allow for lower inclusion levels of supplemental lipid and, as a result, a reduction in ME in the broiler chicken diet while maintaining the same level of performance, resulting in a reduction in feed production costs ( Khonyoung et al, 2015 ; Majdolhosseini et al, 2019 ). This may be accomplished by using exogenous emulsifiers in poultry diets, which may help to overcome the physiological restrictions of the digestive tract in terms of digestibility of lipids and, to a lesser degree, other nutrients in poultry, especially in young birds ( Zhao and Kim, 2017 ; Viñado et al, 2019 ).…”

“…This may be accomplished by using exogenous emulsifiers in poultry diets, which may help to overcome the physiological restrictions of the digestive tract in terms of digestibility of lipids and, to a lesser degree, other nutrients in poultry, especially in young birds ( Zhao and Kim, 2017 ; Viñado et al, 2019 ). Previous studies on various poultry species found that supplementing diets with emulsifier agents, such as lysophospholipids and lysolecithins, compensated for the performance loss when dietary ME was reduced by 100 kcal/kg relative to optimum levels ( Majdolhosseini et al, 2019 ; Haetinger et al, 2021 ; Nemati et al, 2021 ). Furthermore, lysophospholipid supplementation has been shown to improve the intestinal morphology of broiler chickens ( Chen et al, 2019 ; Viñado et al, 2020 ).…”