Substitution of Wheat Bran by Cassava Flour in the Diet: Effect on the Growth of Chickens

Abstract

Chicken diet cost represents up to 70 % of the production charges. Inputs, which are mostly imported products such as lysine, methionine, wheat bran are the cause of the expensive cost of foods. Wheat bran is not available in Côte d’Ivoire and could be efficiently substituted by cassava. Cassava is affordable and available all year round. The objective of this work was to determine the effects of the substitution of wheat bran by cassava flour on the growth of chickens. After administering ad libitum during 8 weeks the different food categories (starting and growing food), results showed that protein, fat, ash and calcium contents improved more with the addition of cassava for both starting and growing periods. The energy value of cassava-based feed was higher than that of foods containing wheat bran: 12 155 kJ / kg against 11 428 kJ / kg for the starting food and 12 586 kJ / kg against 11 577 kJ / kg for growth, respectively. Throughout the rearing period, the growth of chicken fed with the cassava-based diet was much higher than that of the chicken fed with the control diet. In the growing food, palmitic acid was the dominant saturated fatty acids with the cassava-based diet exhibiting higher values of saturated fatty acids. The content of unsaturated fatty acids from cassava (48.6 %) was slightly higher than the control diet (47.6 %). Except magnesium, macro-element concentrations were higher in the cassava-based diet than those of food control. Micronutrients such as manganese and zinc had a high value in cassava-based diet than the control diet. Hydrogen cyanide which is in the fresh pulp at 100 mg / kg, decreased at 1.8 mg / kg of dry matter in the start food and at 1.9 mg / kg of dry matter in the growth food. The substitution of wheat by cassava improves feed nutritional profile, also reduces the production cost, food industry will benefit from this up to 13, 36 % in start-up period and up to 13, 25 % in growing period.