Effects of Supplemental Protease and Diet Type of Energy Utilisation and Nutrient Digestibility of Broilers from 9 to 22 Days of Age

Abstract

Dietary protease supplementation has been observed to improve broiler growth performance and amino acid digestibility (Angel et al., 2011; Fru-Nji et al., 2011). Improvements in broiler energy utilisation have also been observed with supplemental protease (Sorbara, 2009; Freitas et al., 2011). These positive extra-proteinaceous effects may be influenced by age and diet type. In addition, these effects may vary throughout the broiler small intestine. Therefore, an experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of supplemental protease and diet type on apparent metabolizable energy (AME) and nutrient digestibility in broilers from 9 to 22 d of age.