title: Effects of chitooligosaccharide supplementation on performance, blood characteristics, relative organ weight, and meat quality in broiler chickens.
abstract: This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of dietary supplementation with chitooligosaccharide (COS) on growth performance, blood characteristics, relative organ weight, and meat quality in broilers. A total of 480 broilers with an average initial BW of 45.04 g per chick were randomly allocated into 1 of the following 4 dietary treatments (20 broilers per pen with 6 pens per treatment): 1) CON (basal diet), 2) ANT (basal diet + 44 mg/kg of avilamycin), 3) COS0.2 (basal diet + 14 g/kg of COS), 4) COS0.4 (basal diet + 28 g/kg of COS). The experiment lasted for 5 wk and avilamycin was administered from d 0 to 21. Growth performance was measured on d 0, 21, and 35, and all other response criteria were measured on d 35. No change in feed conversion (G:F) was observed in response to any of the treatments throughout the experimental period (P > 0.05). However, BW gain and feed intake were greater (P < 0.05) in broilers provided with feed supplemented with COS than in those in the control group. In addition, broilers had significantly greater (P < 0.05) red blood cell and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol concentrations when they were provided with the COS0.4 diet, whereas the triglyceride concentration was lower (P < 0.05) in broilers in the COS0.2 treatment group. No other blood characteristics were affected by the treatments. Additionally, as the dietary COS concentration increased, the liver weight increased (P < 0.05). Conversely, as the concentrations of dietary COS increased, abdominal fat decreased (P < 0.05). Furthermore, meat yellowness decreased (P < 0.05) as the concentration of COS increased. Finally, the breast meat and abdominal fat of birds provided with feed supplemented with COS had a lower (P < 0.05) saturated fatty acid concentration but a greater concentration of total monounsaturated fatty acids (P < 0.05) than that of birds in the control. In conclusion, COS can improve the performance and breast meat quality of broilers while increasing the red blood cell and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol concentrations in blood. In addition, COS can induce a decrease in abdominal fat and improve meat quality.
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Resource & Science, Dankook University, No. 29 Anseodong, Cheonan, Choongnam 330-714, South Korea.
authors.forename: T X
authors.initials: TX
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Y J
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: J S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Yoo
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: J H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: H D
authors.initials: HD
authors.lastname: Jang
authors.forename: S O
authors.initials: SO
authors.lastname: Shin
authors.forename: H J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: J H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Cho
authors.forename: I H
authors.initials: IH
authors.lastname: Kim
mesh_terms: D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000187:drug effects; D000821:Animal Feed / Q000032:analysis; D000824:Animal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D000818:Animals; D002060:Bursa of Fabricius / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000187:drug effects; D002645:Chickens / Q000097:blood / Q000254:growth & development; D004032:Diet / Q000662:veterinary; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D005895:Gizzard, Avian / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000187:drug effects; D008099:Liver / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000187:drug effects; D008460:Meat / Q000592:standards*; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000187:drug effects; D009844:Oligosaccharides / Q000494:pharmacology*; D009929:Organ Size; D013154:Spleen / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D009844:Oligosaccharides