The Prebiotic Effect of Enzymatically Released Bioactive Components of Canola Meal Fibre on Gut Health and Growth Performance of Broiler Chickens

Canola meal (CM) contains significant amount of non-starch polysaccharides (NSP), which might be beneficial for monogastric animals when modified with enzymes. We hypothesize that bioactive components enzymatically released from CM NSP have prebiotic effect on monogastric animals. To obtain the bioactive components, CM was pretreated with enzymes, which were selected after advanced in vitro and in vivo evaluations. The enzymatically modified CM (ECM) and enzymatically modified CM solubles (ECMS) were produced and their prebiotic effect was evaluated. Through a series of in vitro screening studies, the most effective enzyme combination was selected. It showed ability to hydrolyze 47.9% of CM NSP. The results of study with broiler chickens showed improvement in growth performance and NSP digestibility when diets were supplemented with selected multicarbohydrase. The same enzyme blend was used to produce ECM and ECMS.

Improvement in the total tract digestibility of NSP was observed when ECM replaced CM in the broiler diet. Lactobacillus spp. were present in much larger counts (P<0.01) in ileal and cecal digesta of birds fed the ECM diets when compared to the control. The AMEn value of ECM was 30.9% higher than CM. The standardized ileal amino acid digestibility of CM and ECM was similar (P < 0.05). Results of another study showed that supplementation with ECMS improved growth performance of broilers, modulated the GIT microbiome and increased the total SCFA in ileum (P<0.05). The abundance of Lactobacillus spp. and Enterococcus spp. were higher in the ileal and cecal digesta of birds fed ECMS diets than in the control.

Modification of CM with carbohydrases significantly changed the composition and structure of CM fiber. Both ECM and ECMS products expressed their prebiotic properties and improved the gut health of broilers. The enzymatic modification of CM can create the value added feed additives, which could enhance the health of the flock, and support the antibiotic-free feeding programs in broiler chickens.

Key words: carbohydrase, canola meal, enzymatically modified canola meal (ECM), broiler chicken.

Presented at the 2022 Animal Nutrition Conference of Canada. For information on the next edition, click here.