Abstract
Simple SummaryFiber-degrading enzymes are commonly used as feed additives in poultry nutrition to offset the anti-nutritive impact of cereal fibers. These enzymes have been associated with improved nutrient digestion and hindgut fermentation of fibers, and ultimately, improved animal growth. Nevertheless, the underlying mechanisms are not fully clear. The aim of this research was to determine the ability of fiber-degrading enzymes to break fibers down to smaller, more easily fermentable structures and evaluate its implications on feed digestion and fermentation in broilers. It was shown that fiber-degrading enzymes released oligosaccharides in the upper gastrointestinal tract in wheat-fed broilers. This coincided with higher short-chain fatty acid production in the ceca and improved nutrient digestion in the small intestine. Such processes were not observed in maize-fed broilers. The higher impact of enzymes in the wheat-based diet is believed to be related to the more complex structure of maize fibers as well as to the higher nutritional value of maize compared to wheat. This study further establishes the beneficial influence of fiber-degrading enzyme supplementation on nutrient and fiber use.This study aimed at determining how the degradation of cereal non-starch polysaccharides (NSP) by dietary enzymes during feed digestion can influence nutrient digestibility and NSP fermentability in broilers. Ninety-six one-day-old male broilers were assigned to 4 different treatments: control and enzyme-supplemented wheat-based (WC, WE) or maize-based (MC, ME) treatments. Enzyme supplementation with endo-xylanase and endo-glucanase occurred from day 20 onwards. On day 28, digesta samples were collected. Nutrient digestibility, NSP recovery, oligosaccharide profile, and short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) content were determined. Enzyme supplementation in WE resulted in a higher starch (3%; p = 0.004) and protein (5%; p = 0.002) digestion in the ileum compared to WC. Xylanase activity in WE led to in situ formations of arabinoxylan-oligosaccharides consisting of 5 to 26 pentose units in the ileum. This coincided with decreased arabinose (p = 0.059) and xylose (p = 0.036) amounts in the ceca and higher acetate (p = 0.014) and butyrate (p = 0.044) formation in WE compared to WC. Conversely, complete total tract recovery of arabinoxylan in MC and ME suggested poor maize NSP fermentability. Overall, enzyme action improved nutrient digestibility and arabinoxylan fermentability in the wheat-based diet. The lower response of the maize-based diet to enzyme treatment may be related to the recalcitrance of maize arabinoxylan as well as to the high nutritive value of maize.
Highlights
Poultry nutrition is aiming at improving meat production in a cost-effective way while adhering to global strategies, such as animal welfare and reduction in feed antibiotics [1,2]
wheat enzyme (WE) presented increased body weight (BW) (6% higher; p = 0.021), average daily gain (ADG) (14% higher; p = 0.059) and average daily feed intake (ADFI) (6% higher; p = 0.281) values compared to wheat control (WC), while feed conversion ratio (FCR) decreased by 7% (p = 0.018)
maize enzyme (ME) presented numerically positive responses compared to maize control (MC), but not to the extent observed in the wheat-based dietary treatments (DT)
Summary
Poultry nutrition is aiming at improving meat production in a cost-effective way while adhering to global strategies, such as animal welfare and reduction in feed antibiotics [1,2]. Not digestible by endogenous enzymes, NSP can influence feed use throughout the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) [8,9]. The anti-nutritive effect of soluble NSP (arabinoxylan: AX, β-glucan) has been attributed to their ability to increase digesta viscosity, thereby limiting the diffusion of digestive enzymes and nutrients [10,11,12]. Insoluble NSP (AX, cellulose) can limit the accessibility of the host’s enzymes to nutrients enveloped by the cell wall and hinder digestion. SCFA can promote gut health and provide additional energy to the host, among others [14,15]
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