The Beneficial Effects of Guanidinoacetic Acid as a Functional Feed Additive: A Possible Approach for Poultry Production

Abstract

Functional feed additives offer a viable strategy for producing sustainable and healthful poultry. Guanidinoacetic acid (GAA), a non-antibiotic growth stimulant, has attracted significant interest from both investors in the poultry sector and researchers due to its distinct biological properties and multiple potential applications. GAA facilitates creatine synthesis, accelerates metabolism, and boosts poultry growth. Consequently, GAA can be considered a safe and beneficial creatine substitute, as it is the sole natural precursor of creatine. GAA meets the livestock industry’s demand for safe and effective therapies because it is non-toxic, readily degradable, and leaves no residues. Additionally, GAA is more stable and economical than creatine, making it a superior feed additive. In broiler chicks, GAA can replace arginine in practical diets containing either adequate or deficient levels of arginine. Supplementation with GAA offers promising opportunities to optimize broiler production and general health by promoting energy metabolism and protein synthesis. Commercially available feed-grade GAA has a high potential for inclusion in broiler diets. Supplementing broiler chickens with GAA may be an effective approach to improve performance parameters such as body weight and feed conversion ratio. In conclusion, dietary GAA supplementation (approximately 0.6–1.2 g/kg of diet, depending on desired impacts) can improve the productive performance of poultry. This review updates current knowledge on the impacts of GAA on productive and reproductive performance, egg quality, digestibility, antioxidant indices, and gut health in poultry.