Effects of α-glyceryl monolaurateon on growth, immune function, volatile fatty acids, and gut microbiota in broiler chickens

ABSTRACT This study was conducted to determine the effects of dietary addition of α-glyceryl monolaurateon (α-GML) on growth performance, immune function, volatile fatty acids production and cecal microbiota in broiler chickens. A total of 480 one-day-old yellow-feathered broilers were randomly assigned in equal numbers to 4 dietary treatments: basal diet (NCO), or supplementations with 30 mg/kg bacitracin (ANT), 500 mg/kg α-GML (GML1), or 1000 mg/kg α-GML (GML2). And each treatment contained 8 replicates with 15 chickens per replicate. Following supplementation with α-GML, the total body weight gain and average daily weight gain of broilers increased significantly (P