Effects of dietary supplementation with rhamnolipids on the growth performance, nutrient digestibility, slaughter yield, and lipid metabolism of broiler chickens

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of dietary supplementation with rhamnolipids (RLs) on the growth performance, slaughter performance, apparent digestibility and fat metabolism of broilers. Broiler chicks were randomly divided into 3 groups: control (C) group, 100 mg/kg (L) and 1,000 mg/kg (H) RL supplementation groups. The results, after dietary supplementation with RLs for 42 days, revealed a RL dose-dependent promoting effect on feed intake, and an increase of the evisceration index of 42-day-old broilers, but a decrease in the rate of abdominal fat gain. The dietary supplementation with RLs significantly increased the digestibility of protein and fat in broilers. The serum total cholesterol and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels of the H group were significantly higher than those of the C group (p < 0.01), whereas total triglyceride was lower. The liver triglyceride and total cholesterol levels of the H group were significantly higher than those of the L and C groups (p < 0.05). In summary, dietary supplementation with RLs can improve growth performance and carcase quality of broilers by strengthening the emulsification effect of lipid nutrients in the diet of poultry.

Keywords

• rhamnolipids
• broiler chickens
• lipid metabolism
• emulsification