Effects of Cottonseed Meal on Growth Performance, Liver Redox Status, and Serum Biochemical Parameters in Goslings

Background: Cottonseed meal (CSM), a relatively rich source of protein and amino acids, is used as an inexpensive alternative to soybean meal (SBM) in poultry diets. Two experiments were conducted to investigate the effects of CSM on growth performance, liver redox status, and serum biochemical parameters in goslings. In experiment 1, 300 1-d-old male goslings were randomly divided into 5 groups (10 goslings/replicate, 6 replicates/group) and subjected to a 28-d experiment. In experiment 2, 240 28-d-old male goslings were randomly divided into 5 groups (8 goslings/replicate, 6 replicates/group) and subjected to a 35-d experiment. Five isonitrogenous and isoenergetic diets were formulated to produce diets in which 0% (control), 25% (CSM25), 50% (CSM50), 75% (CSM75), and 100% (CSM100) of protein from SBM was replaced by protein from CSM.Results: In experiment 1, dietary CSM was associated with linear decreases in body weight, average daily feed intake and average daily gain and linear increases in the feed-to-gain ratio and mortality from 1 to 28 d of age (P < 0.05). Increased dietary CSM was associated with linear decreases in the hydroxyl radical scavenging ability and superoxide dismutase, catalase and glutathione peroxidase activities in the liver (P < 0.05). Dietary CSM was associated with linear decreases in serum total protein, albumin, and globulin concentrations and linear increases in serum uric acid concentrations (P < 0.05). In experiment 2, the growth performance from 29 to 63 d, redox status indicators (except for malondialdehyde [MDA]) in the liver, and serum biochemical parameters at d 63 were not affected by dietary CSM concentrations (P > 0.05). The MDA content in the liver in the CSM100 group was lower than those in the other four groups (P < 0.05).Conclusion: CSM in gosling diets should not exceed 7.08% in the early growth stage (d 1 to 28), but it can be increased to 22.65% from d 29 to 63. A high concentration of CSM may reduce growth performance in 1- to 28-d-old goslings due to decreases in feed intake, liver metabolism and antioxidant capacity.