Betaine as an alternative feed additive to choline and its effect on performance, blood parameters, and egg quality in laying hens rations.

This research aimed to evaluate how using betaine levels as a choline substitute affects productive performance, egg quality parameters, fatty acids profile, and antioxidant status in laying hens. One hundred and forty brown chickens, 45 wk old, were divided into 4 groups, each group of 7 replicates with 5 chickens per replicate. The first group of diets with choline has control (A) 100% choline, the second group (B) 75% choline + 25% betaine, the third group (C) 50% choline + 50% betaine, and the fourth group (D) received 100% betaine. No significant effects were observed in final body weight (BW), body weight gain (BWG), egg production (EW), and feed intake (FI) for laying hens. In the diet in which betaine was replaced choline, egg mass (EM) and egg weight (EW) increased compared to the control group (P < 0.05). Also, after 12 wk of feeding, the egg quality parameters were not influenced; however, yolk color was increased significantly compared with the control group. Serum total cholesterol, LDL-lipoprotein, HDL-lipoprotein, triglyceride, glucose, aspartate transaminase (AST), and alanine transaminase (ALT) were not affected by replacing choline with betaine. Furthermore, liver malondialdehyde (MDA) content, yolk vitamin E, and fatty acid levels were not significantly affected by replacing choline with betaine. Moreover, hens fed betaine displayed an increased antibody titer of the Newcastle disease (ND) virus. EW and EM were increased by 3.50% and 5.43% in 100% betaine group (D) when compared to the control group. Isthmus weight was decreased by 48.28 % in 50% choline + 50% betaine group (C) when compared to the control group. ND was increased by 26.24% in 100% betaine group when compared to the control group. In conclusion, betaine supplementation positively affected productive performance, egg quality measurements, and immunity response in Bovans brown laying hens.

Effects of protected complex of biofactors and antioxidants on growth performance, serum biochemistry, meat quality, and intestinal antioxidant and immunomodulatory-related gene expressions of broiler chickens.

One-day-old male broiler chickens (Ross 308) were assigned to 3 dietary treatments in a completely randomized design with 8 replicates per treatment, and 4 birds per replicate. The control group was fed a basal control diet, and the 2 test groups were fed the basal control diet supplemented with 150 and 300 mg/kg of protected complex of biofactors and antioxidants [P(BF+AOX)], respectively. The P(BF+AOx) is a combination of vitamins, L-tryptophan and biofactors such as fermentation extracts (Jefo Nutrition Inc., Saint-Hyacinthe, QC, Canada). Dietary P(BF+AOX) did not affect growth performance and breast meat quality (water holding capacity, cooking loss, shear force, and texture profile analysis), but the addition of 150 mg/kg of P(BF+AOX) decreased the relative weight of liver, heart, and spleen (P < 0.05). The addition of 150 mg/kg of P(BF+AOX) tended to increase (P = 0.051) the cold carcass yield. The addition of 150 and 300 mg/kg of P(BF+AOX) decreased (P = 0.002) the cooler carcass shrink, but the relative weight of fat pad increased (P = 0.032) in chickens fed 300 mg/kg P(BF+AOx) than in those of birds fed the control diet. On the other hand, the addition of 300 mg/kg of P(BF+AOX) decreased (P = 0.041) the serum level of uric acid compared with those of birds fed the basal diet. Broiler chickens fed diets supplemented with 150 mg/kg of diet had higher (P < 0.05) mRNA expressions of jejunal SOD1 and interleukins 6 and 10 (IL-6, IL-10). The findings suggest that P(BF+AOX) could be considered as a functional nutrient in broiler diets up to a concentration of 150 mg/kg because of its favorable effects on maintaining intestinal barrier function as well as carcass traits, while excess levels (300 mg/kg) had exhibited superior effect on the serum level of uric acid compared with those of birds fed the control diet.