We aimed to investigate how wide-angle turning of eggs during incubation affected yolk utilization and the associated molecular mechanism, along with improved goose embryonic development. In total, 1152 eggs (mean weight: 143.33 ± 5.43 g) were divided equally and incubated in two commercial incubators with tray turning angles adjusted differently, to either 50° or 70°. Following incubation under the standard temperature and humidity level, turning eggs by 70° increased embryonic days 22 (E22), embryo mass, gosling weight at hatching, and egg hatchability, but reduced E22 yolk mass compared with those after turning eggs by 50°. Lipidomic analyses of the yolk revealed that egg turning at 70° reduced the concentrations of 17 of 1132 detected total lipids, including diglycerides, triglycerides, and phospholipids. Furthermore, the 70° egg turning upregulated the expression of genes related to lipolysis and fat digestion enzymes, such as lipase, cathepsin B, and prosaposin, as well as apolipoprotein B, apolipoprotein A4, very low-density lipoprotein receptor, low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 2, and thrombospondin receptor, which are genes involved in lipid transportation. Thus, a 70° egg turning angle during incubation enhances yolk utilization through the upregulation of lipolysis and fat digestion-related gene expression, thereby promoting embryonic development and improving egg hatchability and gosling quality.
Keywords: egg turning angle; embryo development; goose; incubation; yolk utilization.