The present study aimed to investigate the effect of emulsifier lysophospholipids (LP), enzymatically modified from soy phospholipids, on the growth performance, nutrient digestibility, lipid metabolism and meat quality of fattening rabbits. The LP was added in control (CON), LP1, LP2 and LP3 at 0, 200, 400 and 600 mg/kg, respectively. A total of 240 rabbits at approximately 52 d of age were divided into 4 groups with 6 replicates of 10 rabbits each. The feeding trial lasted for 42 d. Results showed that compared to CON, LP1, LP2 and LP3 increased (p < 0.05) body weight gain, feed efficiency, the apparent faecal digestibility of gross energy, crude protein and ether extract, the percentages of dissectible fat and ether extract in the longissimus and legs, the serum contents of apolipoprotein B, free fatty acid and total phospholipids in the longissimus, but decreased (p < 0.05) serum total triglyceride and total cholesterol. Meanwhile, LP1, LP2 and LP3 had higher (p < 0.05) carcass weight, longissimus weight and percentages of foreleg and hindleg than the CON; and the three LP diets also increased (p < 0.05) the tenderness, lightness and redness of longissimus. It is concluded that soy LP as an emulsifier can improve the growth, digestibility and meat quality of fattening rabbits.
Keywords: Digestibility; growth; lipid metabolism; lysophospholipid; rabbit.