Effect of Xylo-Oligosaccharides, Xylanase and Wheat Bran in Sorghum-Based Diets Fed to Young Broilers

Published: October 20, 2022

By: N. K. MORGAN 1 and M.R. BEDFORD 2 / 1 University of New England, Australia nmorga20@une.edu.au 2 AB Vista, UK.

There is continued interest in using sorghum as an alternative to wheat in Australian poultry diets, but there is concern about the comparatively lower digestibility of sorghum-based diets. This study examined if it is possible to accelerate sorghum digestion in young birds by targeting fermentation of the xylan in its endosperm cell walls. The hypothesis was that supplementing sorghum-soybean meal based diets with a combination of xylo-oligosaccharides (XOS), xylanase and wheat bran would establish xylan-degrading bacteria in the bird’s microbiota, thus improving utilization of the nutrients in sorghum. To verify this, 970 mixed-sex Cobb 500 birds were fed one of 12 sorghum-based dietary treatments, with 8 replicates per treatment and approximately 10 birds per replicate. For half of the treatments, 10% of the sorghum in the diet was directly replaced with 10% wheat bran. The diets were supplemented with combinations of xylanase (16,000 BXU Econase XT 5P) and XOS at either 50g/t or 2kg/t. Body weight (BW), body weight gain (BWG), feed intake (FI) and feed conversion ratio corrected for mortality (cFCR) at d0-12 were determined per pen (Table 1). All data was analysed as a 2 x 2 x 3 factorial using IBM SPSS Statistics 25, with pen means as the experimental unit and percentage males per pen as a covariate. Differences were considered significant at P < 0.05.

Table 1- Effect of XOS, xylanase and wheat bran in sorghum based diets on individual feed intake (FI), body weight gain (BWG) and feed conversion ratio corrected for mortality (cFCR) at age d0-12

Significant interactions between wheat bran and XOS were observed for BW, BWG and cFCR, indicating that in the presence of wheat bran performance improved with increasing XOS level, but in the absence of wheat bran the opposite was true. Feed intake was greatest in birds fed the control diet, demonstrating the advantages of XOS and xylanase application in sorghum-based diets. BW and BWG was highest in birds fed wheat bran, xylanase and 2kg/t XOS, confirming that the beneficial effects of these combined supplements on microbiota transpire into improved performance. Lack of dose effect of XOS on FCR indicates XOS induces positive effects on the microbiota even at very low levels. In conclusion, it appears that sorghum digestibility is improved by supplementing sorghum-based with a fermentable fibre source, xylanase and XOS.

Presented at the 32th Annual Australian Poultry Science Symposium 2021. For information on the next edition, click here.

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Sumit Sipany

ABTL Advanced Bio-Agro Tech Ltd

15 de octubre de 2023

Xylanases: saves costs , improves productivity and flock uniformity.??

1. Feed enzyme appli- cation in diets for poultry is also one of the most researched fields in poultry science today, with over 2 500 independ- ent enzyme trials conducted with broilers alone (Rosen, 2010).

2. Energy is usually the most expensive nutritional component of poultry diets. ?

a) Therefore, a higher efficiency in its utilisation will result in lower feed cost.

b) In the field of nutrition and food technology, the most significant aspects will be the use of enzymes, the evaluation of non-nutritional factors, which may maximise ingredient utilisation by the birds.

3. Feedstuffs should no longer be considered as commodities.

a) Qualitative and nutritional criteria should be used for their purchase and segregation in feed mills.

4. Enzymes will be increasingly used:

a) as they improve ingredient digestibility and nutrient absorption (Cowan et al., 1996),

b) as well as reduce the detrimental effects of anti-nutritional factors, thereby allowing higher flexibility in the use of feedstuffs as well as reducing feed costs (Ferket, 2009)

c) and pollutant excretion in animal waste (Penz-Jr and Bruno, 2010).

d) In addition enzymes lowers feed costs, this will also reduce nitrogen excretion in the environment (Nahm, 2002).??

5. Xylanase improves gut health in poultry and is a Energy Booster and has ability to improve digestibility of plant-based feed ingredients and to reduce digesta viscosity is well-accepted.

6. Xylanase appear to be partially related to their indirect impact on mucosal morphology of the small intestine of birds.

a) In the intestine, undigested NSPs, including arabinoxylans, stimulate the proliferation of pathogenic bacteria

b) Xylanase reduces nutrient availability for cecal pathogens
and it not only reduces digesta viscosity through the hydrolysis of soluble arabinoxylans in the small intestine;

7. This process can also improve gut health by generating xylo-oligosaccharides (XOS), which are fermented, particularly in the foregut.

a) These have a prebiotic effect that selectively stimulates the growth of beneficial gram-positive bacteria in the foregut .

b) This greater level of beneficial microbial activity and growth in turn boosts production of volatile fatty acids, which can then be absorbed and utilised by the animal as an energy source.

8. Xylanase reduces oxidative stress in the gut and It reduces mucin secretion. Mucin is an excellent nutrient source for some pathogenic bacteria such as E. coli and Clostridium perfringens.??

9. Xylanase significantly reduces wet litter.?

a) xylanases can reduce the adverse effects of anti-nutritional factors in feeds, facilitate the development of healthy gut microbiota, and maintain optimal gut function and integrity.

Dr V. Rajendra Prasad