Effects of a mixture of glycerol monolaurate and cinnamaldehyde supplementation on laying performance, egg quality, and antioxidant status in laying hens

Abstract

AbstractBACKGROUNDThis study aimed to determine the effects of a mixture of glycerol monolaurate and cinnamaldehyde (GCM) supplementation on the laying performance, egg quality, antioxidant capacity, and serum parameters of laying hens. A total of 1120 14‐week‐old Jingfen‐1 strain laying hens with similar performance were randomly allocated to four dietary treatments: control, and GCM groups supplemented with 250, 500, or 1000 mg kg−1 for 12 weeks.RESULTSCompared with the control group, GCM‐supplemented groups significantly reduced (P < 0.05) the rate of unqualified eggs of laying hens aged 17–24 weeks. Supplementation of GCM significantly increased (P < 0.05) yolk color and serum glutathione peroxidase (GSH‐Px) activity but decreased (P < 0.05) the hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) content in the serum of laying hens at the age of 20 weeks. Furthermore, groups supplemented with GCM showed a significant increase (P < 0.05) in Haugh unit, yolk color, activities of total superoxide dismutase and GSH‐Px, and the glucose content in serum, and a decrease (P < 0.05) in the content of urea nitrogen and H2O2 and malondialdehyde in serum of laying hens at the age of 24 weeks. 500 mg kg−1 GCM supplementation significantly increased (P < 0.05) the number of large white follicles and 1000 mg kg−1 GCM supplementation decreased the number of large yellow follicles in 28‐week‐old laying hens.CONCLUSIONThese results indicated that GCM supplementation has positive effects on reducing egg loss and improving egg quality in the early laying period of laying hens. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.