Effects of Lactobacillus feed supplementation on cholesterol, fat content and fatty acid composition of the liver, muscle and carcass of broiler chickens

Abstract

An experiment was conducted to study the effects of feed supplementation with a mixture of Lactobacillus cultures (LC) on cholesterol, fat and fatty acid composition in the liver, muscle and carcass of broiler chickens. One hundred and thirty-six, one-day-old male broiler chicks (Avian-43) were assigned randomly to two dietary treatments: (i) a basal diet (control), and (ii) a basal diet + 0.1% LC. The cholesterol contents of the carcass and liver but not the muscle, were significantly (P < 0.05) lower in LC-fed broilers. The fat contents of the liver, muscle and carcass were also significantly (P < 0.05) lower in the LC-fed broilers when compared to the control broilers. Supplementation of LC in the broiler diets significantly (P < 0.05) reduced the oleic acid (C18:1) levels of the liver, muscle and carcass but the arachidonic acid (C20:4) level was significantly (P < 0.05) increased in the liver only. Supplementation of LC also increased the total polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) in the liver. The results of the present study indicate that LC reduces the fat content of the liver, muscle and carcass of broiler chickens, but it has very little potential to modify the fatty acid composition. © INRA, EDP Sciences, 2006.