Abstract

The global push to eliminate antibiotic growth promoters in poultry has accelerated the demand for effective natural alternatives. β-Glucans—branched polysaccharides derived from Saccharomyces cerevisiae cell walls—enhance immunity and gut health; however, their mechanistic effect on the somatotropic axis and meat quality in broilers remains unresolved. Herein, the hypothesis that dietary β-glucan modulates somatotropic signaling to improve growth performance and breast muscle quality was tested with 240 one-day-old Ross 308 chicks allocated to three groups—untreated control, 250 mg β-glucan/kg feed, and 1 g β-glucan/kg feed—and reared for 35 d. Growth performance, plasma growth hormone (GH) and prolactin (PRL), somatotropic axis gene expression in liver and breast muscle, and postmortem meat quality were assessed. β-Glucan supplementation significantly elevated final body weight, breast muscle weight, and plasma GH and PRL, and upregulated hepatic IGF-1 and muscle GH receptor mRNA at 35 d, and hepatic GH receptor mRNA at 17 d. Muscle pH was higher and relative drip loss lower in supplemented birds 72 h postmortem. These results support the hypothesis and identify 1 g β-glucan/kg feed as an effective dose for improving growth and meat quality through somatotropic axis modulation—a novel mechanistic demonstration in broiler chickens.

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