Effect of whole flax seed and carbohydrase enzymes on gastrointestinal morphology, muscle fatty acids, and production performance in broiler chickens

Abstract

Flax seed is a rich source of α-linolenic acid (18:3 n-3). Feeding broiler birds flax seed can increase n-3 fatty acids in meat tissues. However, non-starch polysaccharides in flax seed decrease nutrient digestibility and can have a negative impact on bird performance and muscle fatty acid content. Addition of carbohydrase enzymes to flax-based broiler diets can decrease the anti-nutritive effects of non-starch polysaccharides. An experiment was conducted to investigate on the effect of flax seed and carbohydrase enzyme foregut morphology, muscle tissue, fatty acids, and bird performance. A total of 112 five-day-old broiler chicks were assigned to one of four treatments: Flax10 (corn-soybean meal basal diet adjusted for 10% flax), Flax15 (basal diet adjusted for 15% flax), Flax10E (Flax10 + 0.05% enzyme), and Flax15E (Flax 15 + 0.05% enzyme). Addition of enzyme led to large increases in villi height and villi width in the jejunum of birds fed Flax10 and increases in crypt depth in the jejunum of birds fed Flax15 (P < 0.05). The ratio of villi height to crypt depth was larger in the duodenum and jejunum of birds fed Flax10E when compared to Flax10 (P < 0.05). Feeding the Flax15 diet led to a significant decrease in total lipids in breast muscle compared to Flax10 (P < 0.05). The effect of level of flax or enzyme supplementation was minimal on the fatty acids measured in breast muscle except for total n-6 fatty acids which was higher (P < 0.05) in Flax15 when compared to Flax10. In thigh muscle, stearic acid, arachidonic acid, and total n-6 fatty acids were higher in birds fed Flax15 vs. Flax10. Feeding Flax15 led to a reduction in dry matter of excreta when compared to Flax10 (P < 0.05). There were no differences in BW, average daily gain, or feed consumption during the starter or grower phase due to flax level or enzyme addition (P > 0.05).

Inclusion of Camelina, Flax, and Sunflower Seeds in the Diets for Broiler Chickens: Apparent Digestibility of Nutrients, Growth Performance, Health Status, and Carcass and Meat Quality Traits

“…In the present study, the flax seeds proved to be equally beneficial in the experiments. Similarly, Apperson and Cherian [6] reported a multidirectional positive effect of 10% and 15% addition of flax seeds to diets on the gastrointestinal health status in broiler chicken, e.g., improved intestinal morphometric parameters and reduced viscosity of feces. However, they did not detect significant differences in the average body weight, average daily gain, or feed consumption.…”

“…Whole flax seeds also contain other anti-nutritional substances, such as linamarin, mucilages, or cyanogenic glycosides, which can exert a negative effect on nutrient digestion [10,40]. Young birds are particularly sensitive to these factors; therefore, high doses of oilseeds are not recommended in the first period of rearing [6,37]. In these studies, these concerns were a basis for inclusion of full-fat oilseeds in broiler chicken diets only in the second and third rearing periods.…”

“…Only the feed conversion ratio (FCR) value in experimental groups supplemented with camelina and flax seed mixtures was significantly higher than in the control group (p = 0.035). 1 Data represent the mean of 5 cages (10 broiler chicken/cage) per treatment; 2 Control-diet without oilseeds; CAM-diet with 15% camelina seeds, FLA-with 15% flax seeds; SUN-diet with 15% sunflower seeds; 3 SEM-the standard error of the mean, 4 p < 0.05-statistical differences; a,b,c -statistical differences; 5 BW-average body weight; 6 ADFI-average daily feed intake; 7 BWG-body weight gain; 8 FCR-feed conversion ratio.…”

“…The quality of final products, like meat quality, in large-scale poultry production is ensured mainly through appropriate optimization of the composition of poultry diets [3]. Addition of full-fat seeds into diets for broiler chickens can modify the content of nutrients in birds' muscles to a certain extent, yielding a product with desired nutritional and dietary properties [4][5][6]. In this respect, the seeds of local oil-bearing plants, such as flax, camelina, or sunflower, seem to be extremely valuable [7][8][9].…”

“…The major focus in the literature on the supplementation of birds' diets with flax, camelina, or sunflower seeds is placed on reduction of the ratio of n-6/n-3 fatty acids in poultry products [6,[10][11][12]. Simultaneously, researchers report various effects of these seeds administered in diets on production efficiency.…”