The effect of cereal type and exogenous enzyme use on total folate content of eggs from laying hens consuming diets supplemented with folic acid

Abstract

SUMMARY The absorption of folic acid in the intestine is the major factor that determines the level of folate in the bloodstream and eventually the amount of folate that is transferred into eggs. Antinutritive constituents of cereal grains, such as nonstarch polysaccharide, can potentially influence the absorption of nutrients, including folate. Two studies were designed to determine whether the types of cereals and enzyme supplementation in laying hen diets could affect folate content in chicken eggs. In the first study, 96 Bovan White hens (n = 12/diet) received a corn-, wheat-, barley-, or barley + β-glucanase-based ration, containing 0 or 4 mg/kg of diet of crystalline folic acid for 21 d. Response criteria included production parameters and egg folate measurements. In the second study, 120 Hy-Line CV20 laying hens (n = 12/diet) received a 25% rye-wheat ration containing 0, 0.5, 1.0, 2.0, or 4 mg of crystalline folic acid/kg of feed with or without supplementation of a β-glucanase and xylanase enzyme cocktail (2,000 units/kg of diet) for six 7-d periods. Production parameters, including in vivo viscosity of jejunal digesta and egg folate content, were measured. In the first study, the type of cereal in the diet significantly (P 0.05) effect on egg folate content. The production performance of the laying hens in both studies was also not affected by the type of cereal and enzyme supplementation. Overall, we conclude that the type of dietary cereal may influence the deposition of folate in eggs; however, dietary supplementation of enzyme does not influence egg folate concentration.