Glycerol Utilization in Poultry Nutrition
Summary
Glycerol, a triol commonly recovered as crude glycerin from biodiesel production, has emerged as an alternative energy substrate in poultry diets. Its inclusion in broiler and layer rations offers a dual benefit of utilising an industrial by-product and partially replacing conventional energy sources such as maize or soybean oil. Glycerol is rapidly absorbed in the small intestine and metabolised in the liver, contributing to gluconeogenesis and fatty acid synthesis. Dietary incorporation at modest levels can support growth performance, nutrient digestibility and carcass traits without compromising bird health or product quality. Moreover, the variable composition of crude glycerin—particularly its glycerol purity, methanol and ash content—necessitates accurate determination of its metabolizable energy value to ensure precise diet formulation. Across diverse rearing phases and production systems, glycerol supplementation has been shown to influence feed conversion efficiency, litter moisture and, in laying hens, egg yield and fatty acid profile. The global significance of this practice lies in its potential to enhance sustainability in poultry production while maintaining economic viability and animal welfare standards.
Research from Nature Portfolio
No recent Nature Portfolio content available.
Glycerol Utilization in Poultry Nutrition publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in glycerol utilization in poultry nutrition across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Crude glycerin: A by-product of biodiesel synthesis containing glycerol, water, methanol and salts.
Apparent Metabolizable Energy (AME): The gross energy of feed minus the energy lost in excreta, uncorrected for nitrogen balance.
AMEn (Nitrogen-corrected AME): AME adjusted to account for energy retained or lost in nitrogenous compounds.
Feed Conversion Ratio (FCR): The amount of feed required to produce a unit of body weight gain or egg mass.
Digestibility: The proportion of nutrients in feed that are absorbed and utilised by the bird.
References
- Glycerine derived from biodiesel production as a feedstuff for broiler diets. Brazilian Journal of Poultry Science (2012).
- The effect of replacing soybean oil with glycerol in feeding mixtures designed for utility layers on their production and state of health. Archives Animal Breeding (2012).
- THE METABOLISM OF C14-GLYCEROL IN THE INTACT RAT. Journal of Biological Chemistry (1954).
- Effects of glycerol on the metabolism of broilers fed increasing glycerine levels. Brazilian Journal of Poultry Science (2014).
- Metabolizable energy of different glycerine sources derived from national biodiesel production for broilers. Brazilian Journal of Poultry Science (2014).
- Evaluation of Dietary Glycerin Inclusion During Different Broiler Rearing Phases. Brazilian Journal of Poultry Science (2017).
- Mixed crude glycerin in laying hen diets: live performance and egg quality and fatty acid profile. Brazilian Journal of Poultry Science (2014).
- Crude Glycerin and Energy Density of Diets for Growing, Pre-Lay and Pre-Peak Backcob Brown Egg-Laying Hens. Brazilian Journal of Poultry Science (2020).
About these summaries
This Nature Research Intelligence Topic summary is created with the cited references and a large language model. We take care to ground generated text with facts, and have systems in place to gain human feedback on the overall quality of the process in line with our AI principles. We strive to create accurate and useful summaries for people unfamiliar with the research topic and that supports this goal. These pages are a beta release and will be updated as we learn how best to help people gain value from a research topic summary.
Turn complex research questions into confident strategic decisions
When you're under pressure to set direction, justify investment, or understand your competitive position, you need more than raw data — you need trusted insights you can act on.
Benchmark your performance against global peers using robust, methodologically sound analysis.
Combine quantitative metrics with qualitative expert insight to uncover strengths, gaps and emerging opportunities.
Gain tailored, decision-ready recommendations aligned to your strategic priorities.
Talk to us to learn more about our data dashboards and bespoke strategy reports.
Grow research skills, confidence and careers with training built for every stage of the research lifecycle.
Developed with Nature Portfolio journal Editors and internationally renowned experts. Discover three ways to learn:
Self-paced, online courses in convenient bite-sized units, covering key skills across scientific writing, publishing, grant writing, data analysis, and more.
Expert trainer-led workshops with hands-on exercises and real-time feedback across core research skills, delivered via interactive group sessions.
Editor-led workshops combining core principles in writing and publishing, personalised 1:1 feedback from Nature Portfolio Editors and hands-on exercises.
Explore course catalogues and workshop agendas, enquire about the options or request institutional pricing.