Estimating the matrix value of xylanase in wheat-added diets for broilers

The demand for alternative feed ingredients for animal diets keeps increasing. However, alternative feed ingredients could contain anti-nutritional factors. Arabinoxylan, high in wheat, forms the major constituents of the cell wall and encapsulates highly valuable nutrients in the wheat grain. Due to its viscous nature and high molecular weight, it hampers efficient nutrient absorption and digestion. Xylanase could be used to degrade the xylan bond and in turn, improve digestibility. The current study was conducted to evaluate the matrix value (MV) of xylanase in wheat-added broiler diets. A total of 588 one-day-old male ROSS 308 broiler chicks were randomly allocated into one of seven dietary treatments with twelve replicates per treatment. Diets consisted of 4 levels of metabolizable energy from normal level to –120 kcal/kg with 40 kcal gap and 3 levels of xylanase (1,500 U/kg, 3,000 U/kg, 4,500 U/kg) in –120 kcal/kg diet. Growth performance, digestibility, and viscosity of ileal contents were measured to estimate the effect of xylanase and the MV. The measurements of growth performance are estimated according to the AME level and xylanase addition level. Analysis for the MV was done using linear regression. The result suggests that the addition of xylanase in diets could compensate for the lower growth performance that could be observed with a lower AME level diet. Higher xylanase added diet presents lower viscosity of ileal contents. The estimated maximum MV of xylanase was calculated to be 120 kcal/kg in 3,500 U/kg.