Glycerin and lecithin inclusion in diets for brown egg-laying hens: Effects on egg production and nutrient digestibility

• Raw glycerin and lecithin were included in the diet of laying hens as a replacement primarily of corn or animal fat, respectively.
• No interactions between dietary glycerin and lecithin were detected on any of the production variables studied.
• The inclusion of 70 g GLYC/kg diet reduced feed efficiency slightly, but did not affect egg production or egg quality.
• The inclusion of lecithin in the diet as a replacement of animal fat, improved hen production nutrient digestibility and yolk color.

The effects of the inclusion of raw glycerin (GLYC) and lecithin in the diet on egg production, egg quality and total tract apparent retention (TTAR) of dietary components was studied in brown egg-laying hens from 23 to 51 wk of age. The experimental design was completely randomized with six diets combined as a 2 × 3 factorial with two levels of GLYC (0 vs. 70 g/kg) and three animal fat to lecithin ratios (40:0, 20:20 and 0:40 g/kg). Each treatment was replicated eight times and the experimental unit was a cage with ten hens. Production was recorded by replicate every 28-d period and cumulatively. For the entire experiment, the inclusion of GLYC in the diet hindered feed conversion ratio per kilogram of eggs (2.071 vs. 2.039; P < 0.05) but did not affect any of the other production or egg quality traits studied. The replacement of animal fat by lecithin (40:0, 20:20 and 0:40 g/kg) increased egg weight (60.1, 60.7 and 61.8 g, respectively; P < 0.001) and egg mass production (56.8, 57.5 and 58.8 g/d, respectively; P < 0.01) and improved yolk color as measured by the DSM color fan (9.2, 9.2 and 9.5, respectively; P < 0.001) and feed conversion ratio per kilogram of eggs (2.072, 2.068 and 2.027, respectively; P < 0.05). Feed intake, egg production and body weight gain, however, were not affected. The inclusion of GLYC in the diet did not affect nutrient retention but lecithin inclusion improved TTAR of dry matter (P < 0.05), organic matter (P < 0.05), ether extract (P < 0.001) and gross energy (P < 0.001). In summary, the inclusion of 70 g glycerol/kg diet hindered feed conversion ratio per kilogram of eggs but did not affect any other production or digestibility trait. The replacement of animal fat by lecithin improved egg weight, egg yolk color and nutrient digestibility. Consequently, lecithin can be used as a lipid source in laying hen diets with beneficial effects on egg production.