A produção industrial de aves e suínos mostrou enormes avanços nos últimos anos, principalmente devido ao aumento dos conhecimentos na área de genética e de nutrição. Na área de avaliação dos alimentos e das exigências nutricionais de animais monogástricos, as melhoras se dão a passos largos, devido á seriedade com que os profissionais encaram a responsabilidade de fazer pesquisa de qualidade dentro e fora do país. Neste trabalho serão abordadas as metodologias que permitem melhorar a utilização dos alimentos de maneira mais eficiente e econômica. Serão citados alguns cuidados e procedimentos essenciais para executar adequadamente experimentos de desempenho com aves e suínos. Na atualidade, para a realização de experimentos com monogástricos, é necessário: definir claramente os objetivos, utilizar animais com peso inicial uniforme, usar número adequado de repetições e de animais por unidade experimental. Testes de médias devem ser usados para as variáveis qualitativas e quando a variável independente for quantitativa aplicar análise de regressão. O nível de significância utilizado (5, 7, 10%) pode variar conforme a importância econômica da característica estudada. A adequada condução dos ensaios, sejam de crescimento ou de digestibilidade, é fundamental para que as ferramentas apresentadas possam ter efetividade, resultando na melhora da produtividade e na redução dos custos e da excreção de nutrientes.

Two independent experiments were conducted with male Cobb × Cobb 500 broilers to determine the optimal valine-to-digestible-lysine ratio for broiler development. We conducted a randomized block experiment with 7 treatments, each with 8 replicates of 25 starter birds (8 to 21 d of age) and 20 finisher (30 to 43 d of age) birds. To prevent any excess of digestible lysine, 93% of the recommended level of digestible lysine was used to evaluate the valine-to-lysine ratio. The utilized levels of dietary digestible lysine were 10.7 and 9.40 g/kg for the starting and growing phases, respectively. A control diet with 100% of the recommended level of lysine and an adequate valine-to-lysine ratio was also used. The feed intake, weight gain, feed conversion ratio, and carcass parameters were evaluated. The treatments had no significant effect on the feed intakes or carcass parameters in the starter and finisher phases. However, during both of the studied phases, we observed a quadratic effect on weight gain and the feed conversion ratio. The broilers of both phases that were fed test diets with the lower valine-to-lysine (Val/Lys) ratio had poorer performance compared with those broilers fed control diets. However, when higher Val/Lys ratios were used for the starting and growing broilers that were fed test diets, the 2 groups had similar performance. During the starting phase, in broilers that were fed a higher Val/Lys ratio, weight gain, and the feed conversion ratio improved by 5.5% compared with broilers fed the basal diets. The broilers in the growing phase also had improved performance (by 7 to 8%) when the test diets had higher Val/Lys ratios. Based on the analysis of the starter phase data, we concluded that the optimal digestible Val/Lys ratio for Cobb × Cobb 500 broilers is 77%, whereas for birds in the finisher phase (30 to 43 d of age), a digestible Val/Lys ratio of 76% is suggested.

Two experiments were carried out to evaluate the effects of the dietary inclusion of different dietary sunflower meal (SFM) levels (0% and 20%), with or without the supplementation of an enzyme complex (EC) (cellulase, β-glucanase, xylanase, and phytase) on broiler performance, carcass and cuts yields, economics, and dietary AMEn values. A randomized block experimental design, with a 2x2 factorial arrangement of eight replicates of 20 birds each, was used to test performance. A completely randomized experimental design with a 2x2 factorial arrangement of eight replicates of four birds each was used to test metabolism. No interaction effects between SFM and EC were observed on performance. Although SFM significantly reduced feed intake in the starter phase and total period, weight gain was not different in these phases. Feed: gain ratio improved with the use of SFM in all phases, probably due to the dietary inclusion of oil, which may have improved digestibility. There was a significant increase in weight gain with the use of EC in the starter phase, which is possibly explained by the immature digestive system of birds at this age. There were no SFM or EC significant effects on carcass or cuts yields. There was no significant effect of the addition of EC on dietary AMEn values; however, EC significantly improved the apparent metabolizability coefficients of phosphorus and calcium

Modern broilers have been submitted to continuous genetic improvement, and therefore, their nutritional requirements must be constantly updated to ensure their performance. Two experiments were carried out to evaluate different digestible lysine levels for starter (10-21 days) and grower (22-35 days) phases. The experiments were carried out with male and female Cobb 500 broilers, distributed according to a randomized block experimental design in a 5x2 factorial arrangement (5 increasing digestible lysine levels x 2 sexes), totaling 10 treatments, with 8 replicates of 22 and 20 birds during the starter and grower phase, respectively. Digestible lysine levels of 1.06, 1.12, 1.18, 1.24, and 1.30 were used in the starter diets (10-21 days) and 0.9, 0.98, 1.04, 1.10, and 1.16% in the grower diets (22-35 days). Based on the statistical analyses of the evaluated performance parameters, digestible lysine requirements for maximum performance were determined as 1.22% for males and 1.24% for females in the starter phase, and 1.16% for both sexes in the grower phase. Carcass and performance results indicate that digestible lysine requirements vary with sex and evaluated production parameter. Considering the most relevant broiler production parameters, in 22-to 35-d-old males, digestible lysine requirement for breast meat yield (1.16%) was higher than those for feed conversion ratio (1.07%) and weight gain (1.05%).

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Antagonism, digestible amino acid, egg components, Haugh units. ABSTRACTThe dietary inclusion of phytase increases nutrient and energy bioavailability for broilers. The effect of phytase increases nutrients and energy bioavailability for either the objective of this experiment was to evaluate the influence of nutrient and energy reduction in diets supplemented with phytase on the performance, gastrointestinal pH, organ and bone composition, and blood biochemistry of broilers between eight and 21 days of age. In the study, 1.120 male Cobb 500® broilers, with 161±1g average weight, were used. At eight days of age, birds were distributed according to a completely randomized experimental design with seven treatments in a 3x2+1 factorial arrangement with eight replicates of 20 broiler each. Treatments corresponded to reduction of calcium (Ca) and phosphorus (P), amino acids and energy, or reduction of Ca, P, amino acids and energy; supplementation or not of phytase; and a positive control treatment. Broiler fed the diet with reduced Ca and P levels and phytase supplementation presented the best performance of all groups. The diet with reduced amino acid and energy levels and phytase addition reduced gizzard and proventriculus pH. Dietary Ca and P reduction increased relative liver and heart weights, as well as albumin blood levels. The bones of broilers fed phytase-supplemented diets presented higher ash content.

RESUMO -Um experimento foi desenvolvido com o objetivo de estimar as proporções dos cortes nobres da carcaça de frangos de corte pelo modelo linear. Foram utilizados 842 frangos machos da linhagem Avian Farms, de 22 a 42 dias de idade, distribuídos num delineamento inteiramente ao acaso em esquema fatorial 3x4. Foram fornecidas rações formuladas à base de milho e farelo de soja para conter 2.900 kcal de EM e 15,43; 17,26; 19,60; e 22,60% de PB; 3.100 kcal de EM e 16,49; 18,45; 20,95; e 24,22% de PB; e 3300 kcal de EM e 17,55; 19,64; 22,30; e 25,78% de PB, totalizando doze tratamentos. Cada tratamento foi constituído por quatro repetições de 18 aves. Fortes correlações foram observadas entre o peso vivo aos 42 dias e o peso da carcaça (r = 0,958), o peso da carcaça e o peso de pernas (r = 0,991), peso de peito+osso+pele (r = 0,965) e peso de peito desossado (r = 0,950). A porcentagem de lipídio foi negativamente correlacionada com a porcentagem de umidade da carcaça (r = -0,880). A equação linear é recomendada para a predição dos componentes anatômicos da carcaça de frangos de corte.Palavras-chave: equação de predição, frangos de corte, peso de peito, peso da carcaça Estimation of the Carcasses Anatomical Composition of Broiler from Diet Quality and Carcass WeightABSTRACT -An experiment was carried out to estimate the relations between broiler carcass weight and thighs+drumsticks, breast+bone+skin, and breast meat by the linear model. Eight hundred and sixty and four male poultry of Arbor Acres strain, from 22 to 42 days of age, were assigned to a completely randomized design in 3x4factorial scheme. Corn and soybean meal based diets were prepared to contain 2900 kcal ME and 15.43; 17.26; 19.60; and 22.60% CP; 3,100 kcal ME and 16.49; 18.45; 20.95; and 24.22%CP; and 3300 kcal ME and 17.55; 19.64; 22.30; and 25 IntroduçãoA crescente demanda dos consumidores para o consumo de carnes magras tem aumentado a pressão sobre as instituições de pesquisas, indústria avícola, processamento e comercialização de carnes para o desenvolvimento de estratégias que reduzam a adiposidade da carcaça em frangos de corte.Embora o relacionamento negativo entre lipídio, umidade e proteína da carcaça esteja claramente estabelecido (Jackson et al., 1982;Bartov & Plavnik, 1998), os efeitos da composição da ração e peso da carcaça sobre o peso dos cortes nobres a idade de abate têm sido escassamente estudados.Como o peito e as pernas constituem cerca de 53% do peso da carcaça limpa e concorrem com cerca de 80 a 90% de seu preço, o desenvolvimento de modelos matemáticos para a predição desses componentes tem atraído a atenção de muitos pesquisadores. Frangos de corte são pagos pela quantidade de peso vivo à idade de abate, mas não pela combinação de peso e qualidade da carcaça, como já ocorre com o pagamento de bovinos, suínos e ovinos. Portanto, não existe nenhum método prático de avaliação da qualidade da carcaça de frangos de corte em escala comercial.Pesquisas buscando métodos práticos, não destrutivos, para avaliação de carcaça de fra...