An evaluation of dietary pantothenic acid needs of broilers through eight weeks posthatching

Abstract

Dietary pantothenic acid supplementation was investigated to re-evaluate National Research Council recommendation level of 10 ppm on broilers growth rate, feed consumption, feed efficiency, survivability, nitrogen-corrected metabolizable energy, and pectoralis major (breast muscle) pantothenic acid concentration as well as carcass parameters including dressing percentage, liver, gizzard, abdominal fat pad percentage and specific gravity. Treatments evaluated included: 1. basal corn and soybean meal diet containing 10 ppm pantothenic acid supplemented to National Research Council recommendations; 2. as treatment 1 plus 20 ppm pantothenic acid; and 3. as treatment 1 plus 40 ppm pantothenic acid. Increasing dietary pantothenic acid supplementation beyond 10 ppm did not (P>.1) influence growth rate, feed consumption, feed efficiency, survivability, and nitrogen-corrected metabolizable energy. Dietary pantothenic acid supplementation beyond National Research Council recommendation failed to impact any of the carcass parameters measured, but elevated (P<.05) pectoralis major pantothenic acid concentration. The data suggests that the National Research Council recommendation of 10 ppm dietary pantothenic acid is satisfactory for growth but increasing broilers dietary pantothenic acid enhances carcass nutritional value.