To determine the chemical composition and digestibility of insect meal for poultry made from the larvae of Tenebrio molitor (TL) and nymphs of Gryllus assimilis (GAN) a total excreta collection test was carried out, substituting 20% of the reference diet with each type of meal. The meals presented 6074 and 5975 kcal/Kg of gross energy, with 49.34% and 52.66% protein for TL and GAN respectively. The most nutrient digestibility was less than 65%, except for energy and ether-extract digestibility in the meal from Tenebrio molitor larvae, which were over 70%. The meals under analysis can be used as a source of nutrients in poultry diets.

RESUMO Objetivou-se avaliar o efeito de complexos enzimáticos sobre a energia metabolizável e o coeficiente de digestibilidade de nutrientes do milheto para frangos de corte. Quinhentos e setenta e seis frangos machos foram distribuídos em 36 gaiolas, com três tratamentos: T1 - composição de milheto sem complexo enzimático; T2 - composição de milheto com complexo enzimático (CES) e T3 - composição de milheto com complexo enzimático (CEV). Os tratamentos foram definidos com base em seis dietas (três dietas referências e três dietas testes). As dietas testes foram obtidas pela substituição de 40% da dieta referência por milheto inteiro, e a adição de enzimas consistiu de dois complexos enzimáticos: CES, constituído pelas enzimas fitase, protease, xilanase, β-glucanase, celulase, amilase e pectinase; e CEV. constituído pelas enzimas protease, celulase e amilase. Na fase de 11 a 20 dias, a suplementação com o CEV reduziu os valores de EMA, EMAn e CDPB. A suplementação com CES melhorou o CDPB, e não houve efeito significativo para CDMS e CDEB. Na fase de 21 a 30 dias, houve menor aproveitamento da energia e dos nutrientes com as suplementações CES e CEV. Na fase de 31 a 40 dias, as suplementações reduziram os valores de EMA, EMAn, e o complexo CEV foi efetivo em aumentar o valor de CDPB. A inclusão dos complexos enzimáticos CES (fitase, protease, xilanase, β-glucanase, celulase, amilase e pectinase) e CEV (protease, celulase e amilase) não favoreceu a utilização da energia do milheto, no entanto melhorou o coeficiente de digestibilidade da proteína do milheto nos períodos de 11 a 20 e de 31 a 40 dias de idade.

Little information is available in the literature on the use of cactus pear meal (CPM) in poultry diets; therefore, it is important to evaluate diets that provide excellent performance and lower production costs. Our objective was to study the use of Miúda CPM in the diets of laying hens. In the first study, two diets for male and female chicks were used—1: 80% reference diet + 20% Miúda cactus pear meal (CPM) and 2: 80% reference diet + 20% Gigante cactus pear meal (CPM). The variety Miúda provided a better use of metabolizable energy, as well as a greater digestibility coefficient of dry matter, protein, and mineral matter. In the second study, a control diet was compared to three diets with different levels of Miúda CPM for laying hens in the proportions of 3%, 6%, and 9%. No significant differences were found in productive performance. However, there were significant differences in the some parameters egg quality, texture and color profile of the cooked yolk, egg composition, fatty acids and cholesterol in the yolk. It is possible to use 9% Miúda CPM in the diet of laying hens in a semi-intensive system that does not compromise performance and egg quality, and using 3% Miúda CPM provides a higher economic return.

Antibiotics can contribute to bacterial resistance, posing a significant public health concern. Synbiotics represent an effective alternative to antibiotics, promoting the balance of intestinal microbiota and creating a conducive environment for beneficial bacteria growth. This study aimed to assess the utility of the synbiotic supplement (+Poultry) as a substitute for antibiotics in broiler diets from 1 to 42 days of age. We evaluated its impact on performance during two stages: 1 to 21 days and 1 to 42 days, digestibility coefficients, metabolizable energy, duodenum and jejunum morphometry, carcass yield, and hematological parameters. A total of 440 Ross 308 strain broiler chicks, both males and females, were accommodated in 2m² cages from day 1 to day 42. The birds were randomly assigned to four treatments, with each treatment having five replications consisting of 22 birds, thus forming 20 experimental plots. The treatment groups were as follows: Basal diet (BD) without the addition of antibiotics or synbiotics, BD with 150ppm zinc bacitracin (BCZ), BD with 0.5kg/t of synbiotic, and BD with 1kg/t of synbiotic. The synbiotic supplement (+Poultry) used in this experiment, provided by Nutri+, contained amino acids, minerals, probiotic culture, prebiotic additives, and flavoring additives. Throughout the experiment, all birds were subjected to a weekly sanitary challenge, which involved using reused litter and water contaminated with litter. Treatment effects were observed on feed conversion (P = 0.0100) of broilers aged 1 to 21 days, indicating improved feed conversion in broilers consuming BD + 1kg/t synbiotic compared to BD alone. Consequently, we recommend the incorporation of a synbiotic supplement at a rate of 1kg/t as a viable antibiotic replacement for chickens aged 1 to 21 days. The tested synbiotic supplement shows promise as an antibiotic alternative in broiler diets at all life stages, maintaining both performance and bird health.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects and economic viability of diets containing different levels of antibiotic and buriti oil (BO) on performance, carcass and cut yields, and relative weight of organs of broilers. A total of 432 one- to 42-day-old male chicks were distributed in a completely randomized experimental design with six treatments, each consisting of six replicates of 12 birds. The treatments consisted of one diet with antibiotic without BO, one diet without antibiotic (DWA) without BO, and four DWA containing increasing levels of BO (0.2, 0.4, 0.6, and 0.8%). Average weight and weight gain (WG) of broilers fed with DWA + BO were similar to those of birds fed control diet. Feed intake and feed conversion (FC) were not different among treatments. Relative weight of pancreas linearly increased in the birds fed diets containing BO. The inclusion of 0.45 and 0.40% of BO in the diets promoted the improvement of WG and FC, respectively. Cost of feed management, ratio, gross margin, and gross income did not differ among treatments. It was concluded that the inclusion of 0.45% of BO in diets without antibiotics is economically feasible and allows recovering the performance of broilers.

This experiment evaluated the effects of including buriti oil (BO) in the diet of broilers on growth performance, nutrient digestibility, carcass yield, meat quality, blood parameters, intestinal morphometry, the proliferation of collagen fibers in the skin and collagen concentration in the breast muscle. A total of 180 one-day-old Ross male chicks were distributed in a completely randomized experimental design with three treatments (0%, 1% and 2% BO) and six replications of 10 birds each. Nutrient digestibility was evaluated from 8 to 21 days, while the performance, carcass yield, meat cut yields, abdominal fat, meat quality, blood parameters, intestinal morphometry and skin histology of the birds were evaluated after 21 days. The inclusion of BO significantly affected (p ≤ 0.05) performance, digestibility, meat color, lymphocyte count, duodenal morphometry and collagen concentration. In addition, it increased the metabolizable energy of the diet and reduced the birds’ performance, indicating that the nutraceutical effect of BO improved nutrient use. However, it caused an excess of energy that had to be metabolized by the birds, consequently affecting their performance. BO increased the pigmentation of the breast meat and reduced the lymphocyte count, probably due to its antimicrobial action, consequently decreasing the recruitment of defense cells. An increase in the height of the crypt of the duodenum was observed as the inclusion of BO increased, with the opposite being observed in the jejunum. The inclusion of BO increased the histological proliferation of collagen from minimal (0%) to medium (1%) and moderate (2%), as well as the collagen concentration (CC = 35.933 + 4.677BO; R² = 0.80). Thus, due to functional/nutraceutical effects, adding BO in the diet of broilers can be a promising alternative to antibiotic growth promoters to improve poultry production.