Replacement of choline chloride with natural choline in broiler chicken diets

Abstract

Choline is a water-soluble compound with vitamin-like properties, found in all plant and animal cells. This dietary compound performs essential metabolic functions, such as serving as a precursor for acetylcholine synthesis and as a component of phospholipids. Among its non-essential metabolic functions, choline acts as a methyl donor and helps prevent fatty liver and perosis. The aim of this trial was to evaluate the effect of two sources (synthetic and natural) on broiler performance and intestinal histopathology. A total of 672 one-day-old male broiler chicks (Cobb-500) were allocated in floor pens in a completely randomized block design (14 replicates/treatment). Starter (1-14 d), grower (15-28 d), finisher (29-35 d) and last week (36-42 d) diets were used. Three treatments were evaluated, 1. Basal (BSL) formulated according to Cobb-500 requirements without choline addition; 2. Synthetic (choline chloride, ChCl at 800 ppm 1-14 d; 500 ppm 15-35 d and 300 ppm 36-42 d) and 3. Natural (Colmax, ChNat, at 250 ppm 1-28 d and 200 ppm 29-42 d). Birds and feed were weighed weekly individually and by pen, respectively, and the mortality recorded daily. At the end of the trial one bird per pen was selected by average weight and euthanized. The duodenum and jejunum were fixed in formalin 10% for histopathological examination: integrity lost (IL) and inflammation (Infl). Parametric data were analyzed using ANOVA and non-parametric data through Kolmogorov-Smirnov test. Compared to the BSL, at 42 d, the addition of ChCl improved the body weight (+3.4%, P0.10), and ChNat increased the body weight (+3.3%, P0.10), however with ChNat, no chickens were found to have IL in either the duodenum or jejunum. Additionally, broilers in this treatment group showed the lowest frequencies of Infl (duodenum and jejunum). In conclusion, natural choline effectively replaced choline chloride without compromising broiler performance, potentially offering benefits in intestinal histopathology.