Multi-enzyme supplementation in diets containing sunflower cake for pullets: Mineral digestibility and bone quality

Abstract

Sunflower cake is an alternative feed with nutritional potential to be used in poultry feeding. However, the high fiber content and the presence of antinutritional factors can compromise the availability of nutrients in the diet and influence the bone development of pullets, which can be mitigated with the dietary inclusion of exogenous enzymes. In this context, the objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of multi-enzyme supplementation in rations containing sunflower cake to pullets on mineral digestibility and quality and bone mineral composition. A total of 1020 pullets 7-weeks-age from the commercial strain Hy-Line, 540 white pullets and 480 brown pullets, were distributed in a randomized experimental design in a 2×2+1 factorial arrangement, with two sunflower cake levels (10 and 20% for white pullets and 12 and 24 % for brown pullets); two ways of enzymatic supplementation (absence and presence of multi-enzyme complex), and one control diet based on corn and soybean meal, totaling five treatments with six replicates of 18 white pullets and 16 brown pullets. Between week 14 and week 15, a metabolic trial was performed to determine the digestibility coefficient of ration minerals. To assess bone quality of the tibia and femur, one pullet of the 12th and 17th week of age was selected and killed. There was no significant interaction between the tested factors (sunflower cake x multi-enzyme complexes) for any of the variables studied. The inclusion level of sunflower cake did not influence the growth and bone quality parameters of the pullets during the growing phase. However, a presence of the multi-enzyme complex provided significant improvements in Ca, P and Mg digestibility coefficient. It is concluded that the multi-enzyme supplementation in the diets increases the digestibility of the mineral in the rations, contributing to the maintenance of bone quality of pullets fed with up to 24% sunflower cake.