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Sunflower cake with or without enzymatic complex for broiler chickens feeding
Eveline Berwanger1, Ricardo Vianna Nunes2, Tiago Junior Pasquetti3
1Animal Science Department, Federal University of South Rio Grande, Porto Alegre, RS 91540-000, Brazil.
Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
|March 3, 2017
Summary
Sunflower cake inclusion in broiler diets negatively impacts performance and carcass yield. However, an enzymatic complex can improve intestinal morphology, suggesting a potential benefit when using moderate levels of sunflower cake.
Area of Science:
- Animal Science
- Poultry Nutrition
- Feed Science
Background:
- Sunflower cake is a byproduct of sunflower oil extraction.
- Its use in animal feed is explored for cost-effectiveness and nutrient content.
- High fiber and anti-nutritional factors can limit its inclusion in poultry diets.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the effects of sunflower cake and an enzymatic complex on broiler performance, carcass yield, and intestinal morphology.
- To determine the optimal inclusion level of sunflower cake in broiler diets.
- To assess the efficacy of enzymatic supplementation in mitigating potential negative effects of sunflower cake.
Main Methods:
- A completely randomized design with 850 broilers was used.
- A 2x5 factorial arrangement tested the presence/absence of an enzymatic complex and five sunflower cake inclusion levels (0-20%).
- Performance, carcass yield, and intestinal morphology parameters were analyzed.
Main Results:
- Increasing sunflower cake levels linearly reduced feed intake, weight gain, final weight, and feed:gain ratio.
- Higher inclusion levels (15-20%) of sunflower cake significantly worsened performance compared to the control.
- Enzymatic complex supplementation improved jejunal crypt depth and villus:crypt ratio, while sunflower cake reduced villus height and increased crypt depth.
- Carcass yield linearly decreased with higher sunflower cake inclusion.
Conclusions:
- Sunflower cake can be included in broiler diets up to 10% without significantly compromising performance.
- Enzymatic complex supplementation shows potential for improving gut health in broilers fed sunflower cake.
- Further research may be needed to optimize enzymatic strategies for higher sunflower cake inclusion levels.
