Supplementation of plant phosphatidylcholine sources: effects on performance and carcass traits in broiler chickens

Abstract

Choline is an important nutrient for broiler chickens and plays several important roles in their metabolism. In recent years, there has been an observed increase in the utilization of plantderived products rich in choline to meet the nutritional requirements of poultry. Given its relevance, the objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of supplementation with two vegetable sources of phosphatidylcholine on the performance and carcass characteristics of broiler chickens. Twelve hundred broiler chicks were distributed among five experimental treatments, as follows: Basal diet (BD)- diet without choline supplementation; BD + Biocholine (218, 197, and 143 mg/kg of diet, respectively); BD + Biocholine DS1 (146, 131, and 96 mg/kg of diets, respectively); BD + Biocholine DS2 (109, 98, and 72 mg/kg of diets, respectively); BD + Biocholine DS3 (87, 79, and 57 mg/kg of diets, respectively). The five experimental treatments were composed of twelve replications and twenty birds each. A significant improvement (P 0.05). In conclusion, supplementation with plant sources of phosphatidylcholine improves feed conversion in broiler chickens from 1 to 21 days of age, however, it does not have any effect on the carcass characteristics of the animals.