Effects of dietary polysaccharides from the submerged fermentation concentrate of Hericium caput‐medusae (Bull.:Fr.) Pers. on fat deposition in broilers

BACKGROUND The present study was conducted to investigate the lipid‐lowering effect of polysaccharides from the submerged fermentation concentrate of Hericium caput‐medusae (Bull.:Fr.) Pers. (HFCP) in broilers. A total of 480 female Arbor Acres broilers were randomly divided into four dietary treatments, each consisting of six pens as replicates, and fed diets containing 0 (control), 1, 3 or 5 g kg −1 HFCP. RESULTS The results revealed that the average daily gain of broilers increased (linear (L), P < 0.01; quadratic (Q), P < 0.01) when the HFCP levels increased. The serum cholesterol, triglyceride and low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol levels decreased (Q, P < 0.05) while the high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol level increased (Q, P < 0.05) when the HFCP levels increased. The caecum Escherichia coli count and pH decreased (Q, P < 0.01) while the lactobacilli count and bifidobacteria count increased (L, P < 0.05; Q, P < 0.05) when the HFCP levels increased. The propionic acid and butyric acid concentrations increased (L, P < 0.001; Q, P < 0.001) while the abdominal fat rate and liver fat content decreased (L, P < 0.01; Q, P < 0.05) when the HFCP levels increased. CONCLUSION Dietary supplementation with HFCP may lead to the development of low abdominal fat of broilers as demanded by health‐conscious consumers. © 2014 Society of Chemical Industry