Three experiments were carried out to evaluate the effect of dietary combination of different enzymes (phytase + protease) on performance, metabolizable energy, and amino acid digestibility of broiler chickens fed diets with nutritional reduction. A total of 1,400, 336, and 384 male chickens were distributed in a completely randomized design, in the experiments of performance, metabolism, and digestibility, respectively. Treatments were divided as follows: positive control (PC), negative control – NC1 (PC minus 0.16% Ca, 0.15% available P (aP), [...] ABSTRACT Three experiments were carried out to evaluate the effect of dietary combination of different enzymes (phytase + protease) on performance, metabolizable energy, and amino acid digestibility of broiler chickens fed diets with nutritional reduction. A total of 1,400, 336, and 384 male chickens were distributed in a completely randomized design, in the experiments of performance, metabolism, and digestibility, respectively. Treatments were divided as follows: positive control (PC), negative control – NC1 (PC minus 0.16% Ca, 0.15% available P (aP),

This study investigated the effect of the serine protease on metabolizable energy and amino acids’ digestibility of different soybean meal for broilers. A total of 684 broilers chickens form 14 to 23 d age were distributed with nineteen treatments, six replicates, and six birds per replicate. Nine samples of soybean meal from different regions in Brazil were used, with some samples supplemented with the protease enzyme and others without addition. Apparent and corrected-for-nitrogen-balance metabolizable energy were evaluated, as well as the coefficients of amino acid digestibility. All collected data were submitted to ANOVA at a significance level of 5% and Tukey’s test was applied. The results showed that the addition of the protease enzyme significantly increased the values of AME and AMEn in all soybean meal samples. The soybean meal of different origins has significant variations in AME and AMEn. The addition of the protease improved the digestibility of essential amino acids compared to soybean meal without enzyme addition. These results indicate that supplementation with serine protease can improve the metabolizable energy and amino acid digestibility of soybean meal from different regions in the diet of broilers, potentially being an effective strategy to enhance nutrient utilization and animal performance.

The objective of this study was to investigate the impact of alternative lipid sources on nutrient metabolism, performance, carcass characteristics, and meat quality in European quails. Trial 1 determined the energy values and nutrient metabolizability of non-conventional lipid sources. Six treatments (control, soybean oil, conventional corn oil, distilled corn oil, poultry fat, and beef tallow) were randomly assigned with 10 replicates per treatment. Trial 2 evaluated animal performance, carcass characteristics, and meat quality using a randomized design with five treatments and 10 replicates each. Statistical analysis showed no significant difference in apparent metabolizable energy corrected by nitrogen (AMEn) and coefficients of metabolizability (CM%) among the lipid sources. The AMEn values found were 8554 for soybean oil, 7701 for corn, 7937 for distilled corn oil, 7906 for poultry fat, and 7776 for beef tallow (kcal/kg). The CM values were 88.01% for soybean oil, 79.01% for corn oil, 84.10% for distilled corn oil, 81.43% for poultry fat, and 79.28% for beef tallow. The inclusion of lipid sources of plant and animal origin in the diet of 7–35-day old meat quails did not influence performance or carcass and cut characteristics. The inclusion of distilled corn oil increased carcass yield and influenced skin and meat color parameters. AMEn values varied for each lipid source. The inclusion of distilled corn oil positively influenced skin and meat color as well as carcass yield in quails.

Resumo O estudo avaliou os efeitos do tanino condensado de Acacia mearnsii sobre o desempenho produtivo e reprodutivo de matrizes de codornas de corte ao longo de três ciclos de 28 dias. Foram utilizadas 140 matrizes Coturnix coturnix, distribuídas em delineamento inteiramente casualizado, em esquema de parcelas subdivididas, composto por quatro tratamentos, com sete repetições de cinco aves em cada unidade experimental, totalizando 28 parcelas. Os tratamentos foram: T1: Dieta basal (controle negativo) sem adição de aditivos; T2: Dieta basal + antibiótico bacitracina de zinco em 22 ppm/ton (controle positivo); T3: Dieta basal + tanino condensado em 1.000 g/ton e T4: Dieta basal + tanino condensado 750 g/ton. Foram analisados consumo de ração (CR), produção e massa de ovos (TPO e MO), peso dos ovos (POI), conversão alimentar por dúzia de ovos (CA/dz), taxa de eclosão (TE), peso dos pintinhos (PP) e excreção de nitrogênio. O desempenho variou entre os ciclos, com CR e MO no segundo ciclo e melhor CA/dz no terceiro (p0,05). A TE foi superior nas dietas sem aditivos (p<0,05). O teor de nitrogênio das excretas foi reduzido por influência das dietas (p<0,05), e observou-se interação entre dieta e ciclo para matéria seca (p0,05). Conclui-se que a inclusão moderada de taninos condensados de Acacia mearnsii (750 g/ton) melhora a CA/dz, a utilização de nutrientes e o desempenho reprodutivo, especialmente em ciclos mais avançados, além de reduzir a excreção de nitrogênio. Esses resultados indicam o potencial dos taninos como aditivos fitogênicos sustentáveis e substitutos naturais aos antibióticos promotores de crescimento.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of dietary supplementation of purified lignin on the performance, relative organ weights, serum metabolites, and gene expression profiles of broiler chickens subjected to cyclic heat stress (HS). At 22 days old, 280 broilers were distributed in a completely randomized design with four treatments, ten repetitions, and seven birds per experimental unit. The birds were subjected to daily cyclic HS. A high temperature of 32±1 °C was maintained for 10 [...] ABSTRACT The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of dietary supplementation of purified lignin on the performance, relative organ weights, serum metabolites, and gene expression profiles of broiler chickens subjected to cyclic heat stress (HS). At 22 days old, 280 broilers were distributed in a completely randomized design with four treatments, ten repetitions, and seven birds per experimental unit. The birds were subjected to daily cyclic HS. A high temperature of 32±1 °C was maintained for 10