FEEDING-BEHAVIOR IN CHICKENS GIVEN DIETS CONTAINING MEDIUM CHAIN TRIGLYCERIDE

1. The effect of dietary medium chain triglyceride (MCT) on short-term food intake was compared with the effect of long chain triglyceride (LCT) in chickens. Maize oil was used as the LCT while glyceryl tricaprylate (C 8) and glyceryl tricaprate (C 10) were used as MCT. Cumulative food intake was determined during the 6 h after the start of feeding. 2. Chicks were given diets containing 200 g C 8/kg diet, 200 g C 10/kg diet or 200 g LCT/kg diet in experiment 1. As early as 30 min after feeding, cumulative food intake in both MCT-supplemented diets decreased significantly compared with the diet containing LCT. 3. To determine if endogenous cholecystokinin (CCK) was responsible for the decrease in food intake caused by MCT, birds were injected with the CCK-A receptor antagonist devazepide (DVZ, 1 mg/kg BW) before diet presentation. DVZ had no effect on food intake with either LCT- or MCT-supplemented diets. 4. In experiment 3, chicks were given a choice between either diets containing LCT and C 8, LCT and C 10, or C 8 and C 10 to confirm whether or not the palatability of the diets was influenced by the dietary fat sources. There was no difference in food intake between C 8 and C 10-supplemented diets. However, chicks preferred the LCT-supplemented diet compared with either of the diets containing MCT.