Evaluation of performance in broilers fed corn-soybean meal based diets supplemented with multi enzymes

Exogenous enzymes such as xylanase, amylase and protease are increasingly being used in corn-based diets for broilers in order to manage the variability in corn quality and improve nutrient digestibility. In the present study, a total of 480 1-day-old Ross 308 broiler chicks with an average initial body weight of 45±0.621 g were used in a 5-week feeding trial to evaluate the effects of multi-enzymes in a corn soybean meal based diet on performance. The chicks were sorted into 3 treatments with 10 pens per treatment and 20 birds per pen. Dietary treatment consisted of a corn-soybean meal based basal diet (CON) and a basal diet supplemented with multiezyme1 (ME1), which consists of a combinations of xylanase, mannanase, amylase, protease and phytase, or multi enzyme 2 (ME2), which includes cellulase, beta-glucanase, pectinase, xylanase, mannanase, amylase, protease and phytase, at a dosage of 125g/ MT feed. The broilers were weighed by pen and feed intake was recorded on d 0, 7, 21 and 35, which were then used to calculate body weight gain, feed intake, and feed conversion rate. From d 28 to 35, broilers were fed diets mixed with chromic oxide (0.2%) as an indigestible marker to determine the apparent total tract digestibility of nutrients. Data were subjected to the statistical analysis as a complete randomized design using the GLM procedures of SAS and the pen was used as the experimental unit. Differences among the treatment means were determined by using the Tukey’s test with P < 0.05 indicating significance.The supplementation of ME1 and ME2 increased (P<0.05) body weight gain during d7-21 (779g, 770g vs 743g) as well as during the overall experiment period (1829g, 1812g vs 1759g) compared with control. During d 22-35, BWG was higher in ME1 compared with ME2 and control (947g vs 935g, 913g). In addition, feed conversion rate was improved (P<0.05) in ME1 and ME2 treatments compared with control during d7-21 (1.365, 1.384 vs 1.448), during d 22-35 (1.810, 1.846 vs 1.897) as well as overall (1.585, 1.608 vs 1.663). However, the apparent total tract nutrient digestibility and serum blood urea nitrogen and creatinine concentrations were not affected significantly (P>0.05). The lightness value of breast muscle color was increased (P<0.05) in broilers fed with ME1 and ME2 diet compared with control (55.04, 55.01 vs 51.65). In conclusion, enzyme supplementation did not affect nutrient digestibility while it improved the growth performance. The possible reason for improved performances in enzyme supplemented groups may be due to better feed efficiency than the control group.