Effects of enzyme supplementation on performance, nutrient digestibility, gastrointestinal morphology, and volatile fatty acid profiles in the hindgut of broilers fed wheat-based diets.

A growth trial and a metabolism trial were conducted as 2 experiments to investigate the effects of dietary enzyme supplementation (primarily xylanase and beta-glucanase) on performance, nutrient digestibility, intestinal morphology, digestive organ size, and volatile fatty acid profiles in the hindgut of broiler chickens fed wheat-based diets. The experimental diets in both trials consisted of a wheat-based control diet supplemented with 0, 200, 400, 600, 800, or 1,000 mg/kg enzyme. Diets were given to the birds from d 7 to 42 of age. In the growth trial, enzyme supplementation improved performance of the broilers; daily gain and feed conversion increased linearly (P < 0.01) with increasing levels of enzyme supplementation. Enzyme inclusion decreased the size of the digestive organs and the gastrointestinal tract to some extent. The relative length of each intestinal segment decreased linearly (P < 0.05). The relative weight of the anterior intestine on d 21 and ileum on d 42 also decreased linearly (P < 0.01). On d 21 and 42, there were negative linear (P < 0.05) relationships between increasing enzyme supplementation and the relative weight of the liver and pancreas, respectively. Furthermore, there was a linear (P < 0.01) increase in total volatile fatty acid content in ileum on d 21 and in the cecum on d 21 and 42. During each period of the metabolism trial, apparent crude protein digestibility increased linearly (P < 0.05), whereas no differences were detected (P > 0.05) in AME.