1. The effect of a low dietary chitosan content (06 g/kg) on growth performance, carcase quality, visceral organs and intestinal morphology was studied. 2. A total of 24 male Marshall Chunky broiler chicks were fed on a commercial basal diet with 0 (control) and 06 g/kg chitosan until 7 weeks of age. Body weight gain and feed intake were higher in the chitosan group but there were no differences in feed efficiency and breast meat, drumsticks and visceral organ weights. 3. There were no difference in intestinal villus height, villus area, cell area or cell mitosis except for significantly increased duodenal cell mitosis and ileal villus area in the chitosan group. 4. In the chitosan group, epithelial cells on the villus apical surface in the duodenum showed many kinds of morphological patterns such as protuberated cells, cell clusters, and deeper cells at sites of recently exfoliated cells. The ileal villus apical surface had protuberated cells, and most cells were attached by segmented filamentous bacteria. These villi showing rough surface of the duodenum and ileum were more in the chitosan group than in the control, although not statistically significant. 5. These results suggest that a low content of dietary chitosan improved growth performance, and this may be attributed due to the presence of hypertrophied villi and epithelial cells.
The objective of the present study was to investigate the e ects of a low percentage of dietary chitosan on growth performance, carcass quality, plasma cholesterol, triacylglycerol levels, and the concentration of plasma very low density lipoprotein (VLDL) levels in broilers. Three hundred and sixty male Arbor Acre broiler chicks were randomly allotted into groups with replicates of chickens per replicate. Chitosan was supplemented to a basal diet at (control),. ,. and. for weeks. Basal diet was starter (CP, kcal/kg ME) at weeks, grower (CP, kcal/kg ME) at weeks and then changed to finisher (CP, kcal/kg ME) until weeks. Compared with the control, body weight, feed e ciency, and weights of drumstick and breast tended to increase in all chitosan groups, although not statistically significant. The weight of visceral organs and the total plasma cholesterol, triacylglycerol and VLDL levels did not show a significant di erence among the groups. These results suggest a low level of dietary chitosan tended to improve growth performance. These results suggest that a low level of dietary chitosan diet for broilers cannot reduce the total plasma cholesterol, but tended to have better growth performance. : body weight, broiler chickens, chitosan, feed intake, plasma lipid
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