Impact of attapulgite loaded with essential oil in diets on the growth performance and gut microbiota of broilers: a correlation analysis

This experiment aimed to examine the influences of different concentrations of attapulgite loaded with essential oil (ATP-EO) on growth performance, caecal microflora, and their correlation in broilers. In this study, 960 one-day-old female chicks were randomly divided into groups A, B, C, and D, wi...

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Main Authors: Changqing He, Hanxiang Du, Lingyun He, Yi Liu, Jing Shan, Xiangyong Qu, Songchang Guo, Meichun Li, Jia Tang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Taylor & Francis Group 2025-12-01
Series:Italian Journal of Animal Science
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Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/1828051X.2025.2486400
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author Changqing He
Hanxiang Du
Lingyun He
Yi Liu
Jing Shan
Xiangyong Qu
Songchang Guo
Meichun Li
Jia Tang
author_facet Changqing He
Hanxiang Du
Lingyun He
Yi Liu
Jing Shan
Xiangyong Qu
Songchang Guo
Meichun Li
Jia Tang
author_sort Changqing He
collection DOAJ
description This experiment aimed to examine the influences of different concentrations of attapulgite loaded with essential oil (ATP-EO) on growth performance, caecal microflora, and their correlation in broilers. In this study, 960 one-day-old female chicks were randomly divided into groups A, B, C, and D, with each group containing six replicates of 40 chicks. Group A received a basal diet, while groups B, C, and D were equipped with 500, 750, and 1000 g/t ATP-EO, respectively. The experiment lasted 42 days. The outcomes revealed that dietary ATP-EO supplementation quadratically increased the final body weight (BW) of chicks (pQ < 0.05), while linearly and quadratically increased the average daily feed intake (ADFI) of chicks (pL < 0.05; pQ < 0.05). The addition of ATP-EO linearly and quadratically to the diet reduced the abundance of Euryarchaeota and Campilobacterota at the phylum level (pL < 0.05; pQ < 0.05). At the genus level, ATP-EO addition exhibited a quadratic relationship with caecal Bacteroides abundance (pQ < 0.05) and a linear and quadratic relationship with caecal Phascolarctobacterium abundance (pL < 0.05; pQ < 0.05). Analysis of Spearman correlation demonstrated that Firmicutes and the feed-weight rate (F/G) were negatively correlated (p < 0.05), and Bacteroidota was positively associated with F/G (p < 0.05). Besides, Alistipes with BW and ADFI; and Parabacteroides with death rate were positively related (p < 0.05). In conclusion, adding ATP-EO to the diet improves broilers’ growth performance by enhancing intestinal flora, and the appropriate addition level is 750 g/t.
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issn 1594-4077
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language English
publishDate 2025-12-01
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series Italian Journal of Animal Science
spelling doaj-art-6972b13a75fb47179ea6296c9b5fc1122025-08-20T03:21:28ZengTaylor & Francis GroupItalian Journal of Animal Science1594-40771828-051X2025-12-012411155116610.1080/1828051X.2025.24864002486400Impact of attapulgite loaded with essential oil in diets on the growth performance and gut microbiota of broilers: a correlation analysisChangqing He0Hanxiang Du1Lingyun He2Yi Liu3Jing Shan4Xiangyong Qu5Songchang Guo6Meichun Li7Jia Tang8College of Animal Science and Technology, Hunan Agricultural UniversityCollege of Animal Science and Technology, Hunan Agricultural UniversityAnimal Husbandry and Aquatic Products Bureau of Huaihua CityCollege of Animal Science and Technology, Hunan Agricultural UniversityCollege of Animal Science and Technology, Hunan Agricultural UniversityCollege of Animal Science and Technology, Hunan Agricultural UniversityCollege of Animal Science and Technology, Hunan Agricultural UniversityHunan Yunfeifeng Agriculture Co. LtdCollege of Animal Science and Technology, Hunan Agricultural UniversityThis experiment aimed to examine the influences of different concentrations of attapulgite loaded with essential oil (ATP-EO) on growth performance, caecal microflora, and their correlation in broilers. In this study, 960 one-day-old female chicks were randomly divided into groups A, B, C, and D, with each group containing six replicates of 40 chicks. Group A received a basal diet, while groups B, C, and D were equipped with 500, 750, and 1000 g/t ATP-EO, respectively. The experiment lasted 42 days. The outcomes revealed that dietary ATP-EO supplementation quadratically increased the final body weight (BW) of chicks (pQ < 0.05), while linearly and quadratically increased the average daily feed intake (ADFI) of chicks (pL < 0.05; pQ < 0.05). The addition of ATP-EO linearly and quadratically to the diet reduced the abundance of Euryarchaeota and Campilobacterota at the phylum level (pL < 0.05; pQ < 0.05). At the genus level, ATP-EO addition exhibited a quadratic relationship with caecal Bacteroides abundance (pQ < 0.05) and a linear and quadratic relationship with caecal Phascolarctobacterium abundance (pL < 0.05; pQ < 0.05). Analysis of Spearman correlation demonstrated that Firmicutes and the feed-weight rate (F/G) were negatively correlated (p < 0.05), and Bacteroidota was positively associated with F/G (p < 0.05). Besides, Alistipes with BW and ADFI; and Parabacteroides with death rate were positively related (p < 0.05). In conclusion, adding ATP-EO to the diet improves broilers’ growth performance by enhancing intestinal flora, and the appropriate addition level is 750 g/t.http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/1828051X.2025.2486400essential oilsattapulgitexuefeng black-boned chickenintestinal flora
spellingShingle Changqing He
Hanxiang Du
Lingyun He
Yi Liu
Jing Shan
Xiangyong Qu
Songchang Guo
Meichun Li
Jia Tang
Impact of attapulgite loaded with essential oil in diets on the growth performance and gut microbiota of broilers: a correlation analysis
Italian Journal of Animal Science
essential oils
attapulgite
xuefeng black-boned chicken
intestinal flora
title Impact of attapulgite loaded with essential oil in diets on the growth performance and gut microbiota of broilers: a correlation analysis
title_full Impact of attapulgite loaded with essential oil in diets on the growth performance and gut microbiota of broilers: a correlation analysis
title_fullStr Impact of attapulgite loaded with essential oil in diets on the growth performance and gut microbiota of broilers: a correlation analysis
title_full_unstemmed Impact of attapulgite loaded with essential oil in diets on the growth performance and gut microbiota of broilers: a correlation analysis
title_short Impact of attapulgite loaded with essential oil in diets on the growth performance and gut microbiota of broilers: a correlation analysis
title_sort impact of attapulgite loaded with essential oil in diets on the growth performance and gut microbiota of broilers a correlation analysis
topic essential oils
attapulgite
xuefeng black-boned chicken
intestinal flora
url http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/1828051X.2025.2486400
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