# Low energy diets supplemented with lysophosphatidylcholine improve production performance and lipid metabolism in broilers

## TL;DR

Adding lysophosphatidylcholine to low-energy diets improves growth, meat quality, and health in broiler chickens.

## Contribution

This study demonstrates that lysophosphatidylcholine supplementation in low-energy diets enhances lipid metabolism and production performance in broilers.

## Key findings

- LPC supplementation increased final weight and average daily gain in broilers.
- LPC improved carcass traits and meat quality by increasing intramuscular fat and optimizing meat color.
- LPC positively modulated serum biochemistry and reduced hepatic lipid levels in broilers.

## Abstract

The high-energy diets commonly used in broiler production pose challenges for efficient lipid digestion. 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.

A total of 432 1-day-old Arbor Acres (AA) 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 6 replicates, with 18 birds per replicate for 42 days.

Compared with the NC group, the addition of 500 and 750 mg/kg LPC both increased final weight and average daily gain (ADG) while decreasing feed-to-gain at 1–42 days (p < 0.05). Additionally, LPC supplementation at 750 mg/kg significantly increased OM and EE digestibility compared with the NC group (p < 0.05). In addition, 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, and 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 triglycerides, 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 by regulating hepatic lipid metabolism, which provides a theoretical basis for its application in the poultry industry.