Use of Corn Silk Meal in Broiler Diet: Effect on Growth Performance, Blood Biochemistry, Immunological Responses, and Growth-Related Gene Expression

Abstract

The objective of this study was to examine the effects of diets supplemented with corn silk meal (CSM) and non-starch polysaccharide (NSP) enzyme on growth performance, blood biochemistry, immunological response, and growth-related gene expression in broiler chickens. A total of 270 broiler chickens were divided into six experimental groups: (1) basal diets (BD) as control; (2) BD supplemented with 0.5 g/kg feed NSP enzyme; the other four groups are CSM diets as following; (3) and (4) fed diet contain 40 and 80 kg/ton of CSM; (5) and (6) fed diet contain 40 and 80 kg/ton CSM and supplemented with 0.5 g/kg NSP enzyme. Body weight gain (BWG), feed conversion ratio (FCR), protein retention and fiber digestibility were synergistically improved (p < 0.05) when fed CSM supplemented with NSP enzyme. Moreover, a synergistic decrease (p < 0.05) in the serum glucose and total cholesterol were found. Immune organ weights and Newcastle disease virus titers were increased with CSM diets. Interestingly, the relative mRNAs of the growth hormone receptor (GHR) and insulin growth factor (IGF) were increased (p < 0.05) with the CSM and NSP enzyme: the relative mRNA expressions of cholecystokinin (CCK) and leptin were decreased by feeding CSM diets with the NSP enzyme. It could be concluded that the dietary inclusion of CSM with the NSP enzyme might improve growth performance, modify plasma lipids, and enhance immune response in broilers.

Growing and laying performance of two different-plumage color Japanese quail varieties supplemented with corn silk in their diet

“…This improved performance with dietary CS addition could be associated with the nutritional value of the CS which is related to its high nutrients contents of protein, carbohydrates, minerals, and vitamins ( Hasanudin et al, 2012 ) as well as the improved intestinal villi length in the duodenum which helps in enhancing birds’ growth. Moreover, findings supported the present findings but in broiler chickens, they confirmed the improved growth performance with CS dietary inclusion at 4% and 8% ( Kirrella et al, 2021 ). Additionally, the CS content of bioactive compounds (volatile oils, flavonoids, polyphenols, and organic acids) could have a role in improving birds’ growth as it exerts several beneficial effects on the health ( Hasanudin et al, 2012 ; Mesalam et al, 2021 ; Alagawany et al, 2022 ; Arain et al, 2022 ).…”

“…The fresh corn silk was collected from planted corn and shade-dried for 5 d in accordance with the procedure described by ( Kirrella et al, 2021 ) after that the dried CS was ground into powder and stored in plastic bags at 4°C until needed. The chemical composition of CS was previously analyzed by Kirrella et al (2021) and found to include 95.9% dry matter, 12.51% crude protein, 9.5% crude fiber, 2,550 Kcal/Kg metabolizable energy ( ME ), 0.31% Ca, 0.24% available phosphorus, 0.62% digestible lysine and 0.23% digestible methionine. Birds received vaccination against the Newcastle disease virus on d 25 th of age.…”

“…Several earlier studies have reported that CS has several potential applications, used as an antioxidant and in the health care ( Ebrahimzadeh et al, 2008 ), antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antiviral, anti-allergic ( Alam, 2011 ), anti-diabetic properties ( Zhao et al, 2012 ), and anti-obesity ( Chaiittianan et al, 2016 ). In broilers, feeding on untraditional CS meal with endo-1,4-D-mannanase was associated with improved growth and immune response along with enhancing the expression of growth regulating genes ( Kirrella et al, 2021 ). In Nile tilapia, CS showed has a potential role as an antioxidant and immunostimulant which was mediated by enhancing the phagocytosis and lysozyme level and lowering the MDA level in the CS-fed tilapia ( Catap et al, 2015 ).…”

Effects of Replacing Yellow Corn with Olive Cake Meal on Growth Performance, Plasma Lipid Profile, and Muscle Fatty Acid Content in Broilers

“…In the current study, feeding with OCM increased the vitamin E level of the muscles in birds, which may lead to a reduction in the lipid peroxidation process in the birds and, as a result, reduce the oxidation status [ 36 ]. Since the essence of the diet has a direct relationship with oxidative damage in cultured organisms, oxidative focus occurs when the development and removal processes of free radicals (ROS) are unbalanced [ 39 , 40 ]. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavengers, such as superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, and catalase, protect body tissues from oxidative stress [ 41 ].…”

Proximate Analysis of Poultry-Mix Formed Feed Using Maize Bran as a Base

“…Numerous studies have been carried out for the proximate analysis of poultry-mix formed. To show this, the authors of [ 5 ] studied and evaluated the intake of low-graded-cassava meal, finding that the newly created drink “dusa” contained more protein than maize grains. Furthermore, an experiment was conducted to compare the energy sources of Cashew nut meal and conventional-plant-proteins meal.…”