The Use of Bile Salts to Improve Absorption of Tallow in Chicks, One to Three Weeks of Age

Abstract

Apparent fat absorption was 39.6 and 68.2% in chicks 4–7 and 14–19 days of age, respectively, fed purified-type diets with 8.2% tallow (TLW). Cholic acid (C.A.), chenodesoxycholic acid (Ch.A.) and taurocholate, sodium salt (T.A.) at .025 and .05% increased significantly the apparent absorption of fat by 8.4 percentage units in chicks 4–7 days of age, and as much as 10 percentage units in chicks 14–19 days of age. No significant increase in metabolizable energy of diets was detected. C.A. was fed to S.C.W.L. hens at graded levels up to .2% in corn-soy diets containing either 4 or 8% TLW or hydrogenated soybean oil. No improvement in fat absorption or M.E. was detected in these hens which absorbed 86–89% of the fat. The data indicate that bile salts appear to be effective in improving the absorption of saturated-type fats only in young chicks whose absorptive mechanism for fat is not fully developed.