Two experiments were carried out to evaluate the effects of the dietary inclusion of different dietary sunflower meal (SFM) levels (0% and 20%), with or without the supplementation of an enzyme complex (EC) (cellulase, β-glucanase, xylanase, and phytase) on broiler performance, carcass and cuts yields, economics, and dietary AMEn values. A randomized block experimental design, with a 2x2 factorial arrangement of eight replicates of 20 birds each, was used to test performance. A completely randomized experimental design with a 2x2 factorial arrangement of eight replicates of four birds each was used to test metabolism. No interaction effects between SFM and EC were observed on performance. Although SFM significantly reduced feed intake in the starter phase and total period, weight gain was not different in these phases. Feed: gain ratio improved with the use of SFM in all phases, probably due to the dietary inclusion of oil, which may have improved digestibility. There was a significant increase in weight gain with the use of EC in the starter phase, which is possibly explained by the immature digestive system of birds at this age. There were no SFM or EC significant effects on carcass or cuts yields. There was no significant effect of the addition of EC on dietary AMEn values; however, EC significantly improved the apparent metabolizability coefficients of phosphorus and calcium

RESUMOForam realizados dois ensaios de metabolismo a fim de determinar a energia metabolizável aparente (EMA), por meio do método de coleta total de excretas com frangos, e a energia metabolizável verdadeira (EMV) e a digestibilidade verdadeira dos aminoácidos do farelo de girassol, por meio do método de alimentação forçada com galos cecectomizados. No primeiro ensaio, foi utilizado o delineamento experimental inteiramente ao acaso com 80 frangos Cobb, distribuídos em dois tratamentos, ração referência (RR) e RR mais 20% de inclusão de farelo de girassol e oito repetições e cinco aves por unidade experimental. No segundo ensaio, foi utilizado o delineamento experimental inteiramente ao acaso com 14 galos Leghorn, distribuídos em dois tratamentos, farelo de girassol e jejum, sete repetições e um galo por unidade experimental. O farelo de girassol apresentou 90,0% de matéria seca, 28,1% de proteína bruta, 4.42kcal/kg de energia bruta, 22,4% de fibra bruta, 2,9% de extrato etéreo, 0,8% de fósforo e 0,3% de cálcio. A EMV, a EMV corrigida, a EMA e a EMA corrigida determinadas foram 3.013; 2.200; 2.141 e 1.983kcal/kg, respectivamente. A lisina foi o aminoácido essencial que apresentou a menor digestibilidade e a arginina, a maior.Palavras-chave: frango de corte, alimento alternativo, aminoácido, digestibilidade, energia metabolizável ABSTRACTTwo experiments were carried out to determine apparent metabolizable energy (AME), by the method of total excreta collection using broilers; and true metabolizable energy (TME) and true amino acid digestibility of sunflower meal (SFM), by the method of forced feeding using cecectomized roosters. each, was used. Sunflower meal presented 90,0% dry matter, 28.1% crude protein, 4,429kcal/kg crude energy, 22.4% crude fiber, 2.9% ether extract, 0.8% phosphorus, and 0.3% calcium. TME, AME,013; 2,200; 2,141; and 1,983 kcal/kg, respectively a variações nos custos dessa matéria-prima e afetando diretamente a lucratividade na avicultura. Dessa forma, uma alternativa para otimizar a rentabilidade na produção animal é o uso de alimentos alternativos em substituição parcial ao milho e ao farelo de soja. In the first experiment, a completely randomized experimental design, with two treatments (reference diet (RD) and RD plus 20% SFM inclusion) with eight replicates of five birds each, was applied. In the second experiment, a completely randomized experimental design, with two treatments (SFM vs. fasting) with seven replicates of one rooster