Background: A study was undertaken to examine the effects of poultry fat (PF) compared with those of soybean oil (SBO) on intestinal development, fatty acid transporter protein (FATP) mRNA expression, and fatty acid composition in broiler chickens. A total of 144 day-old male commercial broilers were randomly allocated to 2 treatment groups (6 replicates of 12 chicks for each treatment) and fed isocaloric diets containing 3.0% PF or 2.7% SBO at 0 to 3 wk and 3.8% PF or 3.5% SBO at 4 to 6 wk, respectively.
Results: PF had no influence on intestinal morphology, weight, or DNA, RNA, or protein concentrations at 2, 4, and 6 wk of age. However, compared with SBO, PF significantly decreased FATP mRNA abundance at 4 wk (P = 0.009) and 6 wk of age (P < 0.001); decreased liver fatty acid-binding protein (L-FABP) mRNA abundance at 6 wk of age (P = 0.039); and decreased C18:2 (P = 0.015), C18:3 (P < 0.001), C20:2 (P = 0.018), Σ-polyunsaturated fatty acids (Σ-PUFA) (P = 0.020), and the proportion of PUFA (P < 0.001) in the intestinal mucosa and decreased C18:2 (P = 0.010), C18:3 (P < 0.001), C20:2 (P < 0.001), Σ-PUFA (P = 0.005), and the proportion of PUFA (P < 0.001) in breast muscle at 6 wk of age.
Conclusions: PF decreases FATP and L-FABP mRNA expression and decreased the proportion of PUFA in the intestinal mucosa and breast muscle.