Effect of Bacterial or Fungal Phytase Supplementation on the Performance, Egg Quality, Plasma Biochemical Parameters, and Reproductive Morphology of Laying Hens.

Ahmed A Saleh,Hatem Eltahan,Reyad Y N Elkon,Mustafa Shukry,Abdel-Moneim Eid Abdel-Moneim,Mohammed Elsawee,Mohamed M Soliman,Mohammed H Alzawqari

doi:10.3390/ani11020540

Abstract

Simple SummaryThe present study shows that 5000 FTU/kg dietary supplementation with bacterial (E. coli) or fungal (Aspergillus niger and Trichodermareesei) sources of phytase with less available phosphorus is capable of maintaining productive efficiency, reproductive morphology, and egg quality of laying hens. Eggshell consistency was increased while yolk cholesterol was decreased as a result of diets supplemented with bacterial or fungal phytase. All in all, our results clarify that feeding laying hens bacterial and fungal phytase at 5000 FTU/kg can be effective to replace inorganic phosphorus commercially.Catalytic and physicochemical properties of microbial phytase sources may differ, affecting phosphorus (P) release and subsequently the productive and reproductive performance of layers. The current study aimed to evaluate the impact of bacterial and fungal phytase sources on layer productivity, egg production, biochemical blood indices, and reproductive morphology. For this purpose, 360 Bovans brown hens at 42 weeks of age were randomly allocated into 4 experimental groups, each with 15 replicates of 6 hens. The first group (control) was fed a basal diet with 4.6 g/kg available P. In contrast, the second, third, and fourth groups were fed diets treated with 3.2 g/kg available P, supplemented with either 5000 FTU/kg of bacterial E. coli (QuantumTM Blue 5G), fungal Aspergillus niger (VemoZyme® F 5000 Naturally Thermostable Phytase (NTP)), or fungal Trichodermareesei (Yemzim® FZ100). Dietary supplementation of bacterial and fungal phytases did not affect the productive performance or egg quality criteria, except for increased shell weight and thickness (p < 0.05). Serum hepatic function biomarkers and lipid profiles were not altered in treated hens, while calcium and P levels were increased (p < 0.05) related to the controls. Ovary index and length, and relative weight of oviduct and its segments were not influenced. The contents of cholesterol and malondialdehyde in the yolks from treated birds were lower compared to control hens, while calcium and P content increased (p < 0.05). Conclusively, bacterial and fungal phytase sources can compensate for the reduction of available P in layers’ diets and enhance shell and yolk quality without affecting productive performance, and no differences among them were noticed.

Highlights

Phosphorus (P) is an essential and vital nutrient that is well expressed in the components used in the formulation of feed for poultry production, mainly soybean meal or maize
The results of the present study revealed no significant gaps in productivity efficiency between layers fed the control diet and those fed diets with low available P fortified with bacterial and fungal phytases, which appears to support the conclusions of previous studies
Our findings follow those of Shet et al [23], Tischler et al [24], and Żyła et al [25], who described that dietary addition of exogenous phytases at 250, 300, and 500 FTU/kg feed with normal or low levels of available P had no effect on egg number, FI, and feed conversion ratio (FCR)

Summary

Introduction

Phosphorus (P) is an essential and vital nutrient that is well expressed in the components used in the formulation of feed for poultry production, mainly soybean meal or maize. Phosphorus phytate is poorly absorbed in the gastrointestinal tract of monogastric animals and can negatively affect the digestibility of other nutrients and poultry performance due to its anti-nutritional impact [3,4]. Contamination of water with excessive P leads to its eutrophication and subsequent enrichment of surface water with phytonutrients, which is considered a form of pollution [5]. This problem has motivated scientists to search for suitable ways to decrease the quantity of P excreted in poultry waste, and among these solutions is including phytase in the diet

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