EFFECTS OF DIETARY THIAMINE SUPPLEMENTATION ON PERFORMANCE, EGG QUALITY, AND ANTIOXIDANT-RELATED ENZYMES IN CHINESE EGG-LAYING DUCKS
W. Chen1, A. M. Fouad1,2, D. Ruan1, S. Wang1, W.G Xia1 and C. T. Zheng1*
1Institute of Animal Science, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Science, Key Laboratory of Animal Nutrition and Feed Science in South China, Ministry of Agriculture, State Key Laboratory of Livestock and Poultry Breeding, Guangdong Public Laboratory of Animal Breeding and Nutrition, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Animal Breeding and Nutrition, Guangzhou, China; 2Department of Animal Production, Faculty of Agriculture, Cairo University, Giza, Egypt
*Corresponding Author E-mail: zhengcht@163.com; ahmedmfouad@agr.cu.edu.eg
ABSTRACT
Thiamine, or vitamin B1, is an important water soluble vitamin in poultry nutrition due to its central role in the metabolism. Thus an experiment was designed to investigate the effects of dietary thiamine supplementation on performance, egg quality, and antioxidant-related enzymes in laying ducks. In total, 900 Longyan pullets 22wk-old with similar body weight were randomly assigned to six treatments (twenty five ducks per replicate pens and six replicates per treatment). The control group was fed a corn-soybean meal basal diet containing 0.93 mg thiamine/kg, while the other treatment groups were fed basal diets supplemented with 1.0, 2.0, 3.0, 4.0, or 5.0 mg thiamine/kg. The experimental data were analysed by one-way ANOVA as a single factor design. Dietary thiamine did not change egg production, egg weight, egg mass, FCR, shape index, Haugh unit, yolk color, egg composition, eggshell quality, and concentrations of antioxidant-related enzymes, but it elevated (linearly; P< 0.02) the lipid peroxidation. These findings indicate that corn-soybean meal diet could cover thiamine needs for Longyan egg-laying ducks at 22 to 42 wk of age.
Key words: Thiamine, laying ducks, lipid peroxidation. |