The effect of dietary fibre fractions from different cereals and microbial enzyme supplementation on performance, ileal viscosity and short-chain fatty acid concentrations in the caeca of broiler chickens

Abstract

A fi ve-week-long experiment was performed on 960 one-day-old Cobb 500 cockerels divided randomly into ten experimental groups of 12 cages (replicates) of 8 birds each. The objective of the experiment was to estimate the effect of non-starch polysaccharides (NSP) derived from various cereals and addition of microbial enzyme preparations on growth performance, ileal viscosity, liver weight and concentration of short-chain fatty acids in broiler chicken caeca. Barley and oats, hulless barley, naked oats, and rye constituted the majority of diets. Diets were non-supplemented or supplemented with a commercial enzyme preparation. Enzyme preparations signifi cantly improved feed conversion ratio and body weight gains (P<0.05) only in groups fed diets based on naked oats and rye. In all groups, enzyme supplementation decreased intestinal viscosity and increased the concentration of acetate and total short-chain fatty acids in caecal digesta with the exception of the group fed the diet with naked oats.The results indicate that not total dietary fi bre content, but the type of dietary NSP, as well as microbial enzyme supplementation, may infl uence the intestinal viscosity and performance of broiler chickens.

Gastrointestinal responses of turkeys to the addition of exogenous xylanase and glucanase to diets

“…This is consistent with the results obtained by Choct et al (1999) and Józefiak et al (2004). The lower activity of microbial enzymes observed in the present study may indicate that enzymatic preparations decreased the amount of easily fermentable carbohydrates in caecal digesta.…”

“…The addition of exogenous enzymes increased the concentration of SCFA, mainly of acetic acid, in caecal digesta. In the experiment of Józefiak et al (2004), the increase in SCFA concentration was more distinct: almost two times higher in broilers fed barley-or oat-diets supplemented with xylanase and protease. In other studies, enzymatic preparations added to rye diets did not increase the SCFA concentration in caecal digesta (Lázaro et al, 2003).…”

Energy dilution with α-cellulose in diets for Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua L.) juveniles — Effects on growth, feed intake, liver size and digestibility of nutrients

“…Smits et al (2000) implied that if the viscous properties of NSP were eliminated in broiler chicken feed then the nutrient value of some fats would be improved. Jozefiak et al (2004) found that it was likely not total NSP that influenced intestinal viscosity in broiler chickens, but the NSP type. In addition maybe enzyme supplementation, since diets with viscous components and microbial enzymes probably prevented formation of viscous chyme.…”

“…Soluble fibre in mammals and poultry tend to increase digesta viscosity and retard absorption of nutrients (Krogdahl et al, 2005), while insoluble fibre tend to increase digesta transit, resulting in reduced absorption time. In experiments with broiler chickens some dietary NSP (non starch polysaccharides) increased digestion viscosity and reduced performance (Razdan et al, 1997;Jozefiak et al, 2004). Digestibility of protein and fat has also shown to be reduced with increased NSP content (Smits et al, 2000;Saki and Alipana, 2005).…”

“…Refstie et al (1999) reported that soybean with high dietary fibre content increased water in intestinal chime of salmon, without affecting viscosity, like in broiler chickens. However, viscosity depends on type and amount of NSP (Jozefiak et al, 2004), with soluble fibre giving higher viscosity than insoluble. No measurements of viscosity were performed in our study, but the water content of undigested matter decreased as α-cellulose increased.…”