Protease supplementation in maize-based diet influenced net energy and nutrient digestibility in broilers

Abstract

<p>This experiment evaluated the effects of supplemental protease in maize-based diets formulated with reduced density of digestible amino acids (dAA) on net energy (NE) utilisation and nutrient digestibility in broilers. A total of 312, one-day-old, male broilers (Ross 308) were randomly distributed into 24 floor pens and fed one of three treatments, with eight pen replicates per treatment throughout the starter (1 to 14 d of age) and grower (15 to 28 d of age) phases. Dietary treatments consisted of a positive control (PC) reference diet, a negative control diet (NC; dAA density 60 g/kg less than PC diet), and a NC diet with supplemental protease (200 mg/kg). All diets contained supplemental phytase (200 mg/kg) and xylanase (200 mg/kg). The reduction in dAA density between the PC and NC did not affect (<i>P</i>>0.05) NE, but protease supplementation in the NC diet increased (<i>P</i><0.05) NE by 0.27 MJ/kg, compared with those receiving the NC diet without protease. The reduction in dAA for broilers fed the NC and PC diets did not (<i>P</i>>0.05) affect nitrogen, starch, or DE in the jejunum or ileum. Likewise, no differences (<i>P</i>>0.05) in jejunal (nitrogen, starch, and DE) and ileal (starch and DE) digestibility values were observed between those offered the NC diets without or with protease, but a small difference (<i>P</i><0.05) in ileal nitrogen digestibility was observed.</p>