Low Energy Diets Supplemented with Lysophosphatidylcholine Improve Production Performance and Lipid Metabolism in Broilers

Rui Liu¹Xiaochuan Liu²Yuqiang Wei²Wenjing Liu¹Tao Li¹Xuejun Yuan³Shuzhen Jiang¹Weiren Yang¹Ning Jiao^1*

• ¹College of Animal Science and Technology, Key Laboratory of Efficient Utilization of Non-Grain Feed Resources (Co-construction by Ministry and Province), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs,, Shandong Agricultural University, Taian, China
• ²Linyi Zhengneng Biotechnology Co., Ltd., Linyi 276600, China, Linyi, China
• ³Shandong Agriculture University College of Life Sciences, Tai'an, China

Introduction: The high energy diets commonly used in broiler production pose challenges for the efficient digestion of lipids. Supplementing exogenous emulsifiers is an effective strategy to enhance the digestibility of dietary energy and improve overall fat utilization. This study aimed to investigate the effects of dietary exogenous emulsifier lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) supplementation on broilers fed a reduced energy diet. Methods: A total of 432 one-day-old Arbor Acres broilers were randomly assigned to four dietary treatments: the control group (CON, basal diet), the negative control group (NC, basal diet with 60 kcal/kg metabolic energy reduction), and the NC diet supplemented with 500 or 750 mg/kg LPC groups. Each treatment had six replicates with 18 birds each for 42 d. Results and discussion: Compared with the NC group, the addition of 500 mg/kg and 750 mg/kg LPC both increased final weight and average daily gain while decreasing feed to gain at 1-42d. (P < 0.05). Additionally, LPC supplementation at 750 mg/kg significantly increased OM and EE digestibility compared to NC group (P < 0.05). Besides, LPC supplementation at 750 mg/kg improved the carcass traits at 21 and 42 days (P < 0.05). Moreover, the improved meat quality from LPC supplementation was evidenced by increased intramuscular fat, reduced drip loss at 500 mg/kg, and optimized meat color (L, a, b*) at 750 mg/kg (P < 0.05). Furthermore, 750 mg/kg LPC positively modulated serum biochemistry and hepatic lipid metabolism, as evidenced by reduced activities of alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase, and lower levels of triglyceride, total cholesterol, and malondialdehyde (P < 0.05). In conclusion, low energy diets supplemented with LPC at 750 mg/kg effectively improved production performance, meat quality, and health status via the regulation of hepatic lipid metabolism, which provides a theoretical basis for its application in the poultry industry.