Nine Polish varieties of pea (P. sativum L.) differing in flower colour, from white to purple, were evaluated for chemical and amino acid composition and in vitro for predicted ileal digestibility of protein (pdN) and predicted digestibility of energy (pdE) for pigs. In selected varieties differing in tannin content the apparent metabolizable energy value corrected for zero N balance (AME N ), apparent digestibility of protein and fat and effect of enzymes reducing viscosity of digesta on this parameters were estimated in chickens; apparent metabolizable energy value (AME), true digestibility and biological value of protein was determined in rats.Tannin content had most pronounced negative effect on protein digestibility in chicken (r= -0.93; PO.05) and rats (r= -0.89; PO.05), pdN for pigs (r= -0.98; PO.001) as well as AME N for chicken (r= -0.99; PO.001) and AME for rats (r= -0.95; PO.01), while nutrient content in peas had no significant effect on measured parameters. AME N values of pea did not depend on supplementation of pea-containing diet with xylanase.Seeds of coloured-flowered cultivars, which are rich in tannins are less effectively utilized by monogastric animals than white-flowered ones. The degree of decline in nutrient utilization depends on tannin content in the seeds, which is correlated with the colour of the flowers.

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The efficacy of two fat-coated organic acid preparations added alone or in combination with a commercial feed enzyme to a wheat-and soyabean meal-based broiler diet was investigated. Fat-coated sodium butyrate (SB) and blend G composed of fumaric acid, calcium formate, calcium propionate and potassium sorbite were used. Each preparation was added at 1 g/kg diets cold pelleted. Two hundred 40-day-old Cobb broiler females were allocated to 6 groups, 40 in each, and fed experimental diets from the first day of life to slaughter. Histomorphometry of the jejunum and ileum was performed on eight 8-d-old chicks per group, performance was measured from day 8 to 21 of life on 16 chickens kept in individual cages per group, while the balance trial was conducted using 9 chickens per group. Measurements of digesta pH in the crop, stomach, jejunum and caecum were taken in 30-day-old birds. Additionally, viscosity of ileal digesta and short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) concentrations in caecal digesta were determined.No effect of the feed additives on small intestinal morphology was found in the ileum, but in the jejunum blend G increased the villi height (P<0.001), crypt depth (P<0.01) and the width of the tunica muscularis (P<0.05). The added enzyme decreased villi width (P<0.05). The effect of SB on intestinal morphology was insignificant. The growth performance of birds fed diets supplemented with both SB and feed enzyme was increased in comparison with other experimental groups (P<0.05). Both preparations G and SB increased nitrogen retention, while enzyme supplementation increased organic matter digestibility and the AME N value of diets. Neither preparations G nor SB Animal and Feed Sciences, 18, 2009, 478-489 479 SMULIKOWSKA S. ET AL. affected ileal digesta viscosity, but this parameter decreased by 10% (P<0.05) following enzyme supplementation. The effect of additives on the pH of digesta was not significant, except enzyme supplementation, which decreased the pH (P<0.05) of jejunal digesta. Neither additive affected total short-chain fatty acids concentration in caecal digesta.

The objective of the study was to investigate the effect of linseed and rapeseed or respective oils on performance indices, nutrient digestibility, metabolizable energy of diets, digesta viscosity, and yield and chemical composition of edible and non-edible parts of the carcass of broiler chickens, with particular attention to n-3 PUFA. Two experiments were performed on 134 female broiler chickens, randomly allocated to 3 groups of 22 birds (Experiment 1) or 2 groups of 24 birds (Experiment 2) and 10 birds to a zero group. The chickens were kept in individual cages. Five wheat-based and xylanase-supplemented diets containing about 80 g crude fat per kg were prepared. The source of added fat was in control diet lard (61 g/kg), in experimental diets half of the lard was substituted by: linseed oil (LO) or full-fat linseed (L), rapeseed oil (RO) or full-fat rapeseed (R). Chickens were given the control or experimental diets from days 8 to 42 of life, then they were slaughtered, the carcasses were divided into edible and non-edible parts, and their chemical composition determined. Feeding diet with rapeseed did not significantly affect BWG or FCR, while linseed caused an increase in feed intake and subsequent deterioration in FCR, which in groups C, LO, and L equalled 1.82, 1.73 and 2.0, respectively. The viscosity of jejunal digesta in group L reached 4.5 mPas.s in comparison with about 1.5 in all of the remaining groups. Organic matter retention and AME N value of diet L was lower than in diets C and LO (P≤0.05), while apparent protein and fat digestibility, organic matter retention, and the AME N value of diet R was lower than RO (P≤0.01). Protein retention and meat yield was lower in group L than in both of the other groups (P≤0.05). The deposition

The experiment was carried out on 96 female broilers, allocated to eight groups of 12 birds kept in individual cages. Two basal wheat- and soyabean meal-based diets containing 150 g/kg of rapeseed expeller cake were formulated, differing in the level of P: 7.1 g/kg in diet H or 5.9 g/kg in diet L. Rapeseed cake supplied 3.15 micromol alkenyl glucosinolates per gram of diet. The eight treatments were: basal diets only, basal diets + phytase (1000 U/kg), basal diets + organic acid blend (OA, 6 g/kg), or basal diets + both additives. Diets were fed from day 8 to 28 of life. The results showed that the lower dietary P content and OA supplementation did not significantly affect feed intake or BWG, while both increased (p < 0.001) after phytase supplementation. Tibia ash content as well as tibia ultimate strength were lower (p < 0.001) in birds fed diets L compared with diets H, and increased (p < 0.01) with phytase supplementation of diet L, while OA had no influence on either parameter. Dietary P levels and OA supplementation had no influence on the pH of gut digesta, but the pH of jejunal digesta increased following phytase supplementation (p < 0.01). Morphological measurements of the small intestinal mucosa of chicks indicated that OA added to diet L depressed villi height (p < 0.001) and crypt depth (p < 0.001); both parameters increased after phytase supplementation (p < 0.01). The lower total SCFA as well as acetic, propionic and butyric acid concentrations in caecal digesta indicated lower activity of caecal microflora in birds fed diets L compared with H. OA supplementation had no influence, while phytase supplementation increased the concentration of acetic acid in caecal digesta. Supplementation of diets with either phytase or OA increased thyroid weight by 16% (p < 0.01) and 11% (p < 0.05) respectively. The increase in thyroid weight because of phytase supplementation was greater at the lower dietary P level, and the greatest when both phytase and OA were added to the diet.

The effect of dietary sodium butyrate (SB) or salinomycin (SAL) or both additives on performance, small intestinal morphology and microbial ecology of broiler chickens was studied. A growth trial was conducted with 96 Ross 308 female broilers from 1 to 30 days of age. Four treatment groups were fed with a non-supplemented control diet or three experimental diets supplemented with i) 300 mg SB (Adimix 30 coated) per kg, ii) 60 mg SAL (Sacox) per kg or iii) both additives in combination. Feed intake and body-weight gain decreased and gain-to-feed ratio increased due to SAL supplementation, while addition of SB did not affect performance in comparison with the control diet but positively affected feed intake and body-weight gain in comparison with birds fed the SAL-supplemented diet. Villus height in jejunum decreased, while crypt depth increased due to SAL supplementation. Addition of SB increased crypt depth in jejunum. No significant effect of either additive was observed in ileum morphology. Total short-chain organic acids concentration in ileal digesta decreased with SAL supplementation, mainly due to lower lactic acid concentration, but no effects were observed in the caeca. The SAL supplementation was accompanied by a pH increase in ileum and a pH decrease in caecum. No significant effect of SB addition was observed for these parameters. Total bacterial numbers and Lactobacillus [lactic acid bacteria (LAB)] counts in ileal and caecal contents were lower in birds fed with SAL-supplemented diet in comparison with birds fed with control or SB diet. DNA fingerprints revealed SAL supplementation to affect the microbial population by suppressing dominating LAB, potentially L. aviarius. The presented results show that dietary SAL, supplemented alone or in combination with SB, suppressed the microbial activity and altered the microbial community structure mainly in ileum. SAL alone negatively affected feed intake and body-weight gain; however, the effect was ameliorated by SB supplementation.

The effects of phytase supplementation on the nutritional value, P availability and thyroid status of birds fed 4 differently processed rapeseed expeller cakes (RC) were determined. Two experiments were performed: a balance experiment on 10 groups of nine 3-week-old broilers and a growth experiment on 9 groups of one-day-old broiler females, 11 birds per group. In the balance experiment, a basal (B) and 4 test diets (B mixed with RC in a 6:4 proportion with DM) were fed; half of each diet was supplemented with 1000 U phytase/kg. In the growth experiment, the control diet without RC and isonitrogenous diets with RC supplemented or unsupplemented with 1000 U phytase/kg (RCP) were fed. The amount of RC was 100 or 150 g/kg in diets fed between days 1-21 and 22-42 of life, respectively. The levels of Ca and available P in RC diets were as in the control diet, while in RCP diets they were lowered by 7 and 12%, respectively.Phytase supplementation increased apparent protein digestibility and metabolizable energy values, while it did not affect P availability from RC. BWG was lower in some groups and FCR 5% worse (P<0.05) in all RC groups than in the control. The type of RC significantly affected feed intake, BWG, thyroid and kidney weight. Addition of phytase to RCP diets increased thyroid weight (P<0.01). Phytase addition did not fully compensate for lower Ca and P levels in RCP diets, as tibia ash content was reduced (P<0.05), but this had no effect on tibia weight and ultimate strength.

The aim of the study was to investigate the toxic effects of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) and efficacy of a probiotic preparation containing L. reuteri, L. plantarum, L. pentosus, L. rhamnosus and L. paracasei and Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeasts to ameliorate their effects in broiler chickens. A total of 168 one-day-old female Ross 308 broilers were randomly allocated to six groups. Three wheat and soybean meal-based diets were prepared: Control diet and diets contaminated with 1 or 5 mg/kg AFB1 supplied in moldy wheat. All diets were unsupplemented or supplemented with probiotic, cold pelleted and fed from 1 to 35 day of life. Feeding diet with 1 mg AFB1/kg did not affect performance, but a diet with 5 mg AFB1 resulted in a significant reduction of feed intake and BWG, both diets induced liver and kidneys enlargement. The probiotic supplementation of the diets partially ameliorated those negative effects and resulted in a significant increase of AFB1 excretion. It was accompanied by the reduced level of AFB1 residues in the liver from 8.9 to 3.7 and from 11.8 to 5.9 µg/kg, in kidneys from 7.9 to 2.5 and from 13.7 to 4.1 µg/kg in birds fed the less and more contaminated diets, respectively. AFB1 exposure caused many severe histopathological changes in the liver and kidneys of broilers, probiotic supplementation significantly reduced the changes of these organs. It may be concluded that the probiotic supplementation can be used to alleviate the negative effects of contamination of broiler feed with AFB1 on bird health and product security.