Effects of Dietary Vitamin C Supplementation on Vitamin C Synthesis, Transport, and Egg Deposition in Breeding Geese

This study aims to investigate the effects of dietary vitamin C supplementation on vitamin C synthesis, transport, and egg deposition in breeding geese. A total of 450 female and 90 male 221-day-old Yangzhou geese were randomly assigned to five treatment groups with six replicates each (15 females and 3 males per replicate). The control group received a basal diet, while the other four groups were fed diets supplemented with 100, 200, 300, and 400 mg/kg vitamin C over a 16-week feeding trial. The results showed that dietary vitamin C supplementation increased the vitamin C content in both serum and egg yolks and modulated the expression of key vitamin C-related genes. Specifically, the intestinal and ovarian sodium-dependent vitamin C transporters 1 and 2 (SVCT1/SVCT2) were upregulated, whereas hepatic and renal L-Gulonolactone oxidase (GLO) and SVCT1 were suppressed. These findings indicate that exogenous vitamin C enhances intestinal absorption, inhibits hepatic synthesis, and promotes yolk deposition, with 300 mg/kg emerging as an effective and practical supplementation level that provides a physiological basis for its application in poultry nutrition.