Chitosan is a known mucoadhesive, and it is a safe and biodegradable
polymer with strong potential in immune enhancement, antimicrobial
properties and disease control so it can be used as a feed additive.
Research showed that chitosan could stimulate activities of some growth
factors [18], and increase of chitosan inclusion gave a nonlinear increase
in feed conversion efficiency in broiler chickens [19], but chitosan supplementation
did not affect growth of koi [20]. Previous studies in our
laboratory have demonstrated that piglet diets supplemented with
250 mg/kg COS improved growth and feed conversion efficiency by increasing
plasma growth hormone and insulin-like growth factor-1 levels
in the early-weaned piglets [6]. In this study, similar phenomenon with
promoting growth was observedwith 300 mg/kg COS supplementation