Effects of Sophorolipid on Growth Performance, Organ Characteristics, Lipid Digestion Markers, and Gut Functionality and Integrity in Broiler Chickens

Abstract

Dietary fat and oil could aid in reaching the high-energy requirements of fast-growing birds; however, these inclusions could lead to nutrient waste. This is because young birds have limited lipid digestion due to the low secretion of lipase and bile salt. Sophorolipid (SPL), a glycolipid emulsifier with lower toxicity and higher biodegradability, can upregulate fat utilization by increasing digestibility. Accordingly, a five-week-long experiment was conducted with 720 one-day-old chicks (Ross 308) to investigate the effects of dietary SPL on growth, organ characteristics, and gut health. The allotment was partitioned into four treatment groups according to their body weight with six replications (30 chick/pen). The three treatment diets comprised a basal diet with a formulation that met the Ross 308 standard and 5, 10, and 15 ppm SPL in the basal diet. During the experiment, the birds had free access to feed, and body weight and feed intake were measured at the end of each phase. Chickens were put down at the end of the growing and finishing phases, and jejunum and cecal samples were obtained to investigate organ characteristics and gut environments. The data were analyzed using the generalized linear model procedures of SAS 9.4, and all data were assessed for linear, quadratic, and cubic effects of dietary SPL-supplemented dosages. Body weight was significantly increased with 10 ppm of SPL supplementation in the grower phase without affecting feed efficiency. The relative weights of the intestine and the bursa of Fabricius were quadratically decreased by SPL supplementation with a lower population of Streptococcus and higher propionate and butyrate concentrations. Additionally, the dietary SPL supplementation groups showed a significantly increased villus/crypt ratio with higher intestinal expression levels of fatty acid translocase, diacylglycerol acyltransferase 2, and fatty acid transporter 4. Collectively, proper SPL supplementation in the chicken diet could improve growth performance by down-regulating immune modulation and up-regulating lipid digestion and absorption via modulation of gut microenvironments.

Fat digestion and metabolism: effect of different fat sources and fat mobilisers in broilers’ diet on growth performance and physiological parameters – A review

“…Shoaib et al (2022) reported that use of bile acids had improved weight gain, FCR and protein efficiency ratio than lysolecithin and lysophospholipid. Kwak et al (2022) used three levels (0.0005, 0.001 and 0.0015%) of Sophorolipid, a glycolipid emulsifier and observed that body weight was higher in grower phase with addition of 0.001% Sophorolipid in broiler diet. Shoaib et al (2021a) showed that use of bile acid at 0.05% in broilers diet had higher weight gain 2042 vs 1899g) and better FCR (1.58 vs 1.66).…”

Dietary effects of sophorolipids on nutrient bioavailability and intestinal microenvironments in broiler chickens

“…Recently, SPL has attracted much attention with its lower toxicity and more biodegradability compared to diverse biological detergents in various industrial fields including hygiene, medicine, and pharmacological fields [15]. SPL also could act as an antimicrobial agent, an immune modulator, a depigment agent, a wound healing accelerator, and a skin fibroblast stimulator [16][17][18]. Therefore, we conducted an experiment with SPL and zinc bacitracin to validate the possibility of SPL as a valuable replacement for AGP in livestock industry.…”