{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,30]],"date-time":"2026-07-30T15:22:59Z","timestamp":1785424979668,"version":"3.56.0"},"reference-count":36,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"12","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,17]],"date-time":"2026-06-17T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1781654400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100011798","name":"Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","award":["CARS-41-11"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["CARS-41-11"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100011798","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"crossref"}]},{"award":["CARS-41-11"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["CARS-41-11"]}],"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/05ckt8b96","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Animals"],"abstract":"<jats:p>This study evaluated the effects of dietary sulphur-containing amino acid (SAA) levels provided during the early (1\u201328 d) and late (29\u201363 d) growth stages on production traits and feather follicle gene expression in 63-day-old Jiangnan white goslings. A total of 288 one-day-old male goslings were assigned to a 2 \u00d7 2 factorial design with two early SAA levels (0.64% and 0.87%) and two late SAA levels (0.62% and 0.74%), which created four treatments: Dd (low\u2013low), Dg (low\u2013high), Gd (high\u2013low), and Gg (high\u2013high). All measurements were performed on 63-day-old birds. Final body weight was significantly affected only by early SAA levels (p = 0.03), with the high early groups (Gd and Gg) showing a 3% higher weight (3.99 vs. 3.88 kg) than the low early groups. Late SAA levels had no effect on growth but markedly reduced breast muscle cooking loss (p &lt; 0.01) from 26.64% (low late) to 22.70% (high late), which represents a 15% relative improvement in water-holding capacity. A significant early \u00d7 late interaction (p = 0.03) indicated that late high SAA levels partially compensated for early deficiency. High late SAA levels also slightly reduced dry matter digestibility (73.45% \u2192 73.16%, p = 0.03), while high early SAA levels increased crude ash digestibility (33.59% \u2192 35.66%, p = 0.04). The Dg treatment (low early + high late) caused significantly elevated serum low-density lipoprotein (2.06 vs. 1.42\u20131.58 mmol\/L) and uric acid (348.15 vs. 243.60\u2013294.97 \u03bcmol\/L), which indicates metabolic stress (p &lt; 0.01 and p = 0.02 for interaction). Transcriptomic analysis of feather follicles from the Gg and Gd groups (both receiving identical high early SAA supplementation) identified 121 differentially expressed genes, including the downregulation of MAT1 (cysteine\/methionine metabolism) and upregulation of GHRHR (neuroactive ligand\u2013receptor interaction) in Gg, providing a molecular basis for improved feather growth. q-PCR validated five selected genes. In conclusion, final body weight is determined by early SAA supply, while late SAA supplementation improves meat juiciness, but abrupt increases from low to high SAA levels cause metabolic disturbances. Under this test conditions, The optimal feeding strategy is 0.87% SAAs (1\u201328 d) followed by 0.74% SAAs (29\u201363 d).<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/ani16121865","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,17]],"date-time":"2026-06-17T05:56:31Z","timestamp":1781675791000},"page":"1865","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Effects of Dietary Sulphur Amino Acid Levels on Growth Performance, Meat Quality, Nutrient Digestibility, Serum Biochemistry and Feather Follicle Transcriptomics in Jiangnan White Goslings"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"16","author":[{"given":"Qingxue","family":"Liu","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Animal Science and Technology, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Usman","family":"Nazir","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Animal Science and Technology, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China"},{"name":"College of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Xuan","family":"Li","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Animal Science and Technology, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Xiyuan","family":"Xing","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Animal Science and Technology, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Xucheng","family":"Zheng","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Animal Science and Technology, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-6636-4606","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Zhi","family":"Yang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Joint International Research Laboratory of Agriculture and Agri-Product Safety of Ministry of Education of China, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Haiming","family":"Yang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Animal Science and Technology, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5608-538X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Zhiyue","family":"Wang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Animal Science and Technology, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,17]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"403","DOI":"10.1080\/00439339.2021.1885002","article-title":"Goose Production and Goose Products","volume":"77","year":"2021","journal-title":"World\u2019s Poult. Sci. J."},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"79","DOI":"10.1080\/00439339.2025.2564803","article-title":"Goose Meat Production and Consumption: Current Knowledge and Market Challenges","volume":"82","author":"Krunt","year":"2025","journal-title":"World\u2019s Poult. Sci. J."},{"key":"ref_3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Alabi, T., and Adedokun, S. (2025). Amino Acid Nutrition in Poultry: A Review. Animals, 15.","DOI":"10.3390\/ani15223323"},{"key":"ref_4","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"45","DOI":"10.1186\/s40104-021-00568-0","article-title":"Progress of Amino Acid Nutrition for Diet Protein Reduction in Poultry","volume":"12","author":"Kidd","year":"2021","journal-title":"J. Anim. Sci. Biotechnol."},{"key":"ref_5","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"5720","DOI":"10.1002\/jsfa.11920","article-title":"Supplementation of Sulfur and Folic Acid Improves Performance of Broiler Chicken Fed Suboptimal Concentrations of Dietary Methionine","volume":"102","author":"Rao","year":"2022","journal-title":"J. Sci. Food Agric."},{"key":"ref_6","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"169","DOI":"10.1146\/annurev-animal-022513-114127","article-title":"Development, Regeneration, and Evolution of Feathers","volume":"3","author":"Chen","year":"2015","journal-title":"Annu. Rev. Anim. Biosci."},{"key":"ref_7","first-page":"717","article-title":"The Role of L. Methionine, L. Carnitine, Choline and\/or Silymarin in Hepatoprotection Against Paracetamol Intoxication and Oxidative Stress in Broilers","volume":"56","author":"Aziz","year":"2019","journal-title":"Slov. Vet. Res."},{"key":"ref_8","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Liu, C., Sello, C.T., Sun, Y., Zhou, Y., Lu, H., Sui, Y., Hu, J., Xu, C., Sun, Y., and Liu, J. (2018). De Novo Transcriptome Sequencing Analysis of Goose (Anser anser) Embryonic Skin and the Identification of Genes Related to Feather Follicle Morphogenesis at Three Stages of Development. Int. J. Mol. Sci., 19.","DOI":"10.3390\/ijms19103170"},{"key":"ref_9","first-page":"73","article-title":"Heat Stress Negatively Influence Mammary Blood Flow, Mammary Uptake of Amino Acids and Milk Amino Acids Profile of Lactating Holstein Dairy Cows","volume":"43","author":"Yue","year":"2023","journal-title":"Pak. Vet. J."},{"key":"ref_10","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"105594","DOI":"10.1016\/j.psj.2025.105594","article-title":"Effects of Different Amylose\/Amylopectin Ratio Combination Diets in the Early and Late Stages on Growth Performance and Dynamic Changes of Glycolipid Metabolism of Growing Geese","volume":"104","author":"Yang","year":"2025","journal-title":"Poult. Sci."},{"key":"ref_11","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"104581","DOI":"10.1016\/j.psj.2024.104581","article-title":"Reducing the Dietary Starch: Protein Ratios in Low-Protein Diets Enhanced the Growth Performance of Goslings from 1 to 28 Days of Age","volume":"104","author":"Zheng","year":"2025","journal-title":"Poult. Sci."},{"key":"ref_12","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"447","DOI":"10.1016\/S0309-1740(98)00034-5","article-title":"Reference Methods for the Assessment of Physical Characteristics of Meat","volume":"49","author":"Honikel","year":"1998","journal-title":"Meat Sci."},{"key":"ref_13","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"951","DOI":"10.1080\/1828051X.2020.1809537","article-title":"Effect of Dietary Sulphur Amino Acid Levels and Guanidinoacetic Acid Supplementation on Performance, Carcase Yield and Energetic Molecular Metabolites in Broiler Chickens Fed Wheat-Soy Diets","volume":"19","author":"Zarghi","year":"2020","journal-title":"Ital. J. Anim. Sci."},{"key":"ref_14","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2023","DOI":"10.37496\/rbz5220220023","article-title":"Requirement of Digestible Methionine + Cystine for Growing Japanese Quail and Its Subsequent Effects on Laying Phase","volume":"52","author":"Perine","year":"2023","journal-title":"Rev. Bras. Zootec."},{"key":"ref_15","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1191","DOI":"10.1177\/15353702221082658","article-title":"The \u201cIdeal Protein\u201d Concept Is Not Ideal in Animal Nutrition","volume":"247","author":"Wu","year":"2022","journal-title":"Exp. Biol. Med."},{"key":"ref_16","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"txaa187","DOI":"10.1093\/tas\/txaa187","article-title":"Amino Acid Digestibility Coefficient Values of Animal Protein Meals with Dietary Protease for Broiler Chickens","volume":"4","author":"Bertechini","year":"2020","journal-title":"Transl. Anim. Sci."},{"key":"ref_17","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Li, S., Li, C., Chen, S., Wang, X., Liu, J., Deng, X., Cai, H., and Liu, G. (2023). Effects of Solid-State Fermentation on the Standardized Ileal Digestibility of Amino Acids and Apparent Metabolizable Energy in Peanut Meal Fed to Broiler Chickens. Fermentation, 9.","DOI":"10.3390\/fermentation9040346"},{"key":"ref_18","first-page":"283","article-title":"Effects of Two Alternative Feeding Diets on Growth, Feed Efficiency and Meat Quality in Crossbreeding Goose Populations","volume":"43","author":"Tomczyk","year":"2025","journal-title":"Anim. Sci. Pap. Rep."},{"key":"ref_19","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"103791","DOI":"10.1016\/j.psj.2024.103791","article-title":"Analysis of Carcass Traits, Meat Quality, Amino Acid and Fatty Acid Profiles Between Different Duck Lines","volume":"103","author":"Li","year":"2024","journal-title":"Poult. Sci."},{"key":"ref_20","first-page":"11","article-title":"The Vital Role of Glutamine in Monogastric Animals: More Than a Non-Essential Amino Acid","volume":"46","author":"Nazir","year":"2026","journal-title":"Pak. Vet. J."},{"key":"ref_21","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Li, X., Zheng, X., Xing, X., Liu, W., Liu, Q., Yang, Z., Yang, H., and Wang, Z. (2026). Effects of Dietary Metabolizable Energy and Crude Protein Levels on Growth Performance, Carcass Traits, and Meat Quality of Goslings from 35 to 63 Days of Age. Foods, 15.","DOI":"10.3390\/foods15061060"},{"key":"ref_22","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Liaqat, W., Anwar, U., Fatima, A., Rafique, A., Mustafa, R., Farooq, U., Ramzan, F., Abbas, W., Khalid, M.F., and Ashraf, M. (2025). Effect of Ideal Amino Acid Ratio of Arginine to Lysine on Intake, Nutrient Digestibility, Growth Performance, Antibody Titers of Newcastle Disease and Infectious Bronchitis Disease, and Carcass Characteristics of Broilers. Animals, 15.","DOI":"10.3390\/ani15020135"},{"key":"ref_23","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"137","DOI":"10.2141\/jpsa.0140095","article-title":"A Comparison of Growth, Immunity and Oxidative Status of Broilers That Differ in Hatching Weight at Early Age","volume":"52","author":"Chen","year":"2015","journal-title":"J. Poult. Sci."},{"key":"ref_24","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"118","DOI":"10.1186\/s42523-025-00478-w","article-title":"Effects of Fiber Sources with Different Solubilities on the Growth Performance, Nutrient Metabolism, Antioxidant, Immune Capacity and Intestinal Health of Meat Geese","volume":"7","author":"Liu","year":"2025","journal-title":"Anim. Microbiome"},{"key":"ref_25","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2491557","DOI":"10.1080\/09712119.2025.2491557","article-title":"Influence of Microbial Phytase on Nutrient Digestibility, Growth Performance, Geometric Bone Characteristics, and Expression of Calcium and Phosphate Homeostasis Genes in Broiler Chickens","volume":"53","author":"Isah","year":"2025","journal-title":"J. Appl. Anim. Res."},{"key":"ref_26","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"380","DOI":"10.1007\/s11250-025-04630-1","article-title":"Evaluating the Benefits of Hemp Leaves in Goat Diets: Nutrient Digestibility, Growth Performance and Histomorphology","volume":"57","author":"Lukkananukool","year":"2025","journal-title":"Trop. Anim. Health Prod."},{"key":"ref_27","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"e70320","DOI":"10.1002\/vms3.70320","article-title":"Effect of Heat-Processed Corn and a Carbohydrase Enzyme in Mash Diets on Nutrient Digestibility, Growth Performance and Ileal Microbial Count in Broiler Chicks During Finisher Period","volume":"11","author":"Teymouri","year":"2025","journal-title":"Vet. Med. Sci."},{"key":"ref_28","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2207","DOI":"10.1080\/10495398.2022.2081578","article-title":"The Effects of in Ovo Injection with Sulfur Amino Acids and Folic Acid on the Gene Expression, Relative Organ Weights, Hematologic Parameters, Performance, and Carcass Characteristics of Broiler Chickens","volume":"34","author":"Zangeronimo","year":"2023","journal-title":"Anim. Biotechnol."},{"key":"ref_29","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"106449","DOI":"10.1016\/j.psj.2026.106449","article-title":"Interactive Effects of Dietary Total Sulfur Amino Acids and Crude Protein on Growth Performance in Broiler Chickens: Meta-Analysis and Experimental Validation","volume":"105","author":"Kim","year":"2026","journal-title":"Poult. Sci."},{"key":"ref_30","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"102557","DOI":"10.1016\/j.psj.2023.102557","article-title":"Effects of Dietary Sulfur Amino Acid Levels on Growth Performance and Intestinal Immunity in Broilers Vaccinated and Subsequently Infected with Coccidiosis","volume":"102","author":"Li","year":"2023","journal-title":"Poult. Sci."},{"key":"ref_31","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"106198","DOI":"10.1016\/j.psj.2025.106198","article-title":"Phytase Supplementation in Sorghum-Based Diet Enhances Nutrient Digestibility, Energy Utilization, and Antioxidant Status of Campbell Ducks","volume":"105","author":"Li","year":"2026","journal-title":"Poult. Sci."},{"key":"ref_32","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"103424","DOI":"10.1016\/j.psj.2024.103424","article-title":"Dermal FOXO3 Activity in Response to Wnt\/\u03b2-Catenin Signaling Is Required for Feather Follicle Development of Goose Embryos (Anser cygnoides)","volume":"103","author":"Wang","year":"2024","journal-title":"Poult. Sci."},{"key":"ref_33","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"586","DOI":"10.1080\/00071668.2023.2226078","article-title":"Expression of FOXO3 in the Skin Follicles of Goose Embryos During Embryonic Development","volume":"64","author":"Wang","year":"2023","journal-title":"Br. Poult. Sci."},{"key":"ref_34","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Song, Y., Liu, C., Zhou, Y., Lin, G., Xu, C., Msuthwana, P., Wang, S., Ma, J., Zhuang, F., and Fu, X. (2022). Regulation of Feather Follicle Development and Msx2 Gene SNP Degradation in Hungarian White Goose. BMC Genom., 23.","DOI":"10.1186\/s12864-022-09060-z"},{"key":"ref_35","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Li, X., Xue, G., Ichraf, M., Zhou, Y., Song, Y., Ma, J., Wang, J., Pan, H., Ru, C., and Zhu, K. (2026). Icon show less. Characterisation of Shh gene expression in the skin and feather follicles of Jilin white geese during early embryonic development. Br. Poult. Sci., 1\u20139.","DOI":"10.1080\/00071668.2026.2641533"},{"key":"ref_36","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Zhao, M., Wen, K., Fan, X., Sun, Q., Jauregui, D., Khogali, M.K., Liu, L., Geng, T., and Gong, D. (2022). OTUD7A Regulates Inflammation-and Immune-Related Gene Expression in Goose Fatty Liver. Agriculture, 12.","DOI":"10.3390\/agriculture12010105"}],"container-title":["Animals"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2076-2615\/16\/12\/1865\/pdf","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,19]],"date-time":"2026-06-19T04:42:18Z","timestamp":1781844138000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2076-2615\/16\/12\/1865"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,17]]},"references-count":36,"journal-issue":{"issue":"12","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,6]]}},"alternative-id":["ani16121865"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/ani16121865","relation":{},"ISSN":["2076-2615"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2076-2615","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,17]]}}}