In this study, nano-silymarin (NSM) was produced and compared with powdered (PSM) and lecithinized silymarin (LSM) on performance and egg quality in late-phase laying hens. Egg quality was assessed using fresh eggs or those stored under different temperatures (25 or 5 C) for a period of 28 days. Seventy 80-weeks Lohmann LSL-Lite hens were allocated to 7 treatments with 10 replicates for 12 weeks. Treatments included: (1) control diet without silymarin, (2) daily intake of 100mg PSM/kg body weight (BW), (3) daily intake of 200mg PSM/kg BW, (4) daily intake of 100mg NSM/kg BW, (5) daily intake of 200mg NSM/kg BW, (6) daily intake of 100mg LSM/kg BW, and (7) daily intake of 200mg LSM/kg BW. Scanning electron microscopy showed that NSM was produced with size ranges between 5.84-52.86 nm. Bird study showed that egg production, egg weight, and egg mass increased and feed conversion ratio decreased than the control by silymarin supplementation in any form (p<.05). Egg storage increased yolk weight, yolk and albumen pH, and malondialdehyde content and decreased albumen weight and Haugh unit than the fresh egg (p<.05). Silymarin treatment improved Haugh unit, nutrient digestibility, intestinal morphology, and pH of digesta (p<.05). Moreover, the effects of silymarin were more pronounced when converted to NSM or LSM and offered at the highest level (p<.05). Overall, diet supplementation with 200mg/kg BW of NSM or LSM to improve hen performance and egg quality is asserted by our results.
