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Research Article
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Effect of Three Protein Levels and an Enzyme Blend on Egg Quality of Laying Hens |
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R. Santos-Ricalde,
L. Sarmiento-Franco
and
J. Segura-Correa
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ABSTRACT
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One approach to enhance the Crude Protein (CP) value of laying
hens diets it is the use of enzymes. The objective of this experiment was to
evaluate different CP levels and an enzyme blend (Avizyme; AZ) in laying hens
diets on egg quality. Two hundred and eighty eight ISA Babcock B-300 hens were
used. The diets were: (A) 18.8% CP, (B) 18.8% CP+AZ, (C) 16.6% CP, (D) 16.6%
CP+AZ, (E) 16.0% CP and (F) 15.4% CP. Data were analyzed using analyses of variance
for factorial designs (Diets A, B, C and D) and a complete randomized design
(Diets C, E and F). CP or AZ had no effect on egg quality (p>0.05). Reduction
of CP in laying hen diets tended (p<0.08) to increase feed intake (90.8,
93.6 and 96.5 g day-1) and feed conversion (p<0.05) (2.1, 2.2
and 2.3) for 16.6, 16.0 y 15.4% of CP, respectively. Reduction of CP in laying
diets increased (p<0.05) albumen height (11.4, 11.9 y 11.9 mm). Significant
(p<0.05) reductions of feed intake (96.2 vs 89.9 g day-1) and
feed conversion (2.1 vs 2.0) in diets supplemented AZ were observed. Significant
(p<0.05) interactions of PC and AZ on feed intake and feed conversion were
found. The reduction of CP in the diets did not affect egg quality, but has
an effect on feed intake and feed conversion. Avizyme supplementation reduced
feed intake and improve feed efficiency in high CP diets.
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Received: January 12, 2013;
Accepted: March 11, 2013;
Published: April 16, 2013
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INTRODUCTION
Protein is the nutrient of major cost in laying hen diets for optimum egg production.
Appropriate crude protein level in the poultry diet improves feed utilization
and reduces environmental pollution due to decrease output of nitrogen in manure
(Novak et al., 2006, 2007).
Various approaches have been studied to optimize crude protein utilization
in laying hen diets. One approach is to reduce the CP content in the diets of
laying hen. Blair et al. (1999) found that layer
performance could be maintained with low protein diets (13.5% CP) supplemented
with essential aminoacids. Junqueira et al. (2006)
reported similar results between second cycle laying hens fed 16 and 20% CP
diets. Khajali et al. (2008) found that layer
performance remains satisfactory on reduced CP diets for short periods, but
long term feeding of reduced CP diets may not be advisable because it reduce
performance in the late stage of production. Recently, Latshaw
and Zhao (2011) reported that feed intake reduction from 17 to 15 g of CP/day
in laying hens did not affect laying performance. In other studies, reduction
of sulphur amino acids from 0.71 to 0.65%, caused a reduction of egg weight
(Correa et al., 2007).
Other approach is to use enzymes to enhance the feeding value of the diets.
The inclusion of an enzyme cocktail (xylanase, protease and amylase) in a corn-soybean
meal diet improved nutrient digestibility and performance of broilers fed low
metabolizable energy diets (Cowieson and Adeola, 2005).
Cowieson and Ravindran (2008) concluded that the energy
and amino acid values of maize based diets for broilers can be enhanced by supplementation
with above enzyme cocktail. Novak et al. (2007)
reported that supplementing a commercial corn, soybean meal and wheat middling
diet with an enzyme blending (protease, xylanase and amylase) did not affect
growth of White Leghorn pullets, but resulted in a significant improvement in
cumulative Feed Conversion Rate (FCR), due to reduced feed intake. Furthermore,
protease, amylase and xylanase supplementation (Troche et
al., 2007) improved significantly energy and protein ileal digestibility
in turkeys (Troche et al., 2007). Silversides
et al. (2006) concluded that the inclusion of xylanase in wheat based
diets increased egg and albumen weight and albumen height. Mirzaie
et al. (2012) found that diets supplemented with xylanase wheat up
to 69% had no effect in laying hens. Few studies on the use of protease, xylanase
and amylase in sorghum-soya bean meal based diets for laying hens has been done
under tropical conditions.
The aim of this experiment was to evaluate the effects of different CP levels
and Avizyme® (amylase, xylanase and protease) supplementation
on egg quality.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Materials: The experimental work was carried out at the Faculty of Veterinary
and Animal Science of the Universidad Autonoma de Yucatán. The six diets
utilized in this experiment are showed in Table 1. Diets A,
C E and F had 18.8, 16.6, 16 and 15.4% CP, respectively; whereas diets B and
D had two crude protein levels (18.8 and 16.6 %, respectively) and 370 g ton-1
of Avizyme® (AZ). The experimental diets were formulated according
to recommendations of the manual of ISA Babcock B-300. Total Sulphur Aminoacids
(TSAA) and lysine was according to CP level in the diets. The diets were based
on sorghum and soya bean meal. Avizyme® (Danisco Animal Nutrition)
includes a minimum of 1,000 units of xylanase/g, 4,000 units of protease/g and
2,000 units of α-amylase/g (according to the manufacturer).
Methods: Two hundred and eighty-eight Isa-Babcock B-300 laying hens
of 56 weeks of age were monitored during 8 weeks. Hens and treatments were randomly
distributed to 96, 40x40 cm cages (Three hens per cage) and every cage had one
feeder and one drinker. The hens were fed ad libitum at 8:00 h and the
eggs collected at 14:00 h every day. Feed offered and refused was measured also
daily to estimate feed intake. Twice a week two eggs from each cage were weighed,
as were the albumen and yolk utilizing a scale (0.1 g). Furthermore the albumen
and yolk length and height and the albumen width were obtained. The eggs were
broken on a plate and the albumen length, height and width was measured using
a micrometer. Afterwards, the yolk was separated from the albumen and its weight
width and height was taken using a micrometer. Feed intake was estimated as
average intake/hen/day throughout the experimental trial. Total weekly egg weight
and feed intake data were combined to calculate feed conversion.
Statistical analysis: Data of the six diets were analyzed as if two
experimental designs had been used. Data from Diets A, B, C and D were analyzed
according to a 2x2 factorial design and data from diets C, E and F were analyzed
according to a completely randomized design. Egg quality trait data were analyzed
using the MIXED procedure for repeated measures (SAS, 2006).
Also, the linear and quadratic effects of diets C, E and F were evaluated. Data
on feed consumption and conversion were analyzed using GLM procedures without
repeated measures.
RESULTS
Egg weight and egg quality trait means by diets (A, B, C and D) are showed
in Table 2. There were no differences (p>0.05) between
treatments for any of the egg traits evaluated. Also, no difference between
18.8 and 16.6% CP in the diet was observed for feed intake (p>0.05).
Table 1: |
Diets utilized and chemical composition |
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1Diet B was added 370 g ton-1 of AZ.
2Diet D was added 370 g ton-1 of AZ. 3Concentration/kg
of diet: vitamin A, 8000 UI; vitamin D, 2500 UI; vitamin E, 8 UI; vitamin
K, 2 mg; vitamin B12, 0.002 mg; riboflavin, 5.5 mg; calcium pantothenic
13 mg; niacin, 36 mg; Choline, 500 mg; folic acid, 0.5 mg; tiamine, 1 mg;
pyridoxine, 2.2 mg; biotin, 0.05 mg, 4Concentration/kg of diet:
manganese, 65 mg; iodine, 1 mg; iron, 55 mg, copper, 6 mg; zinc, 55 mg;
selenium, 0.3 mg |
Table 4: |
Egg traits means from laying hens fed three levels of crude
protein |
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However, TSAA and lysine consumption was lower (p<0.05) for the hens fed
the 16.6% CP diet than for hens fed 18.8% CP diet (Table 3).
Significant effect of AZ on feed intake was observed (p<0.05). Inclusion
of AZ in the diets reduced the feed intake in 6 g. Therefore, CP, energy and
amino acids intake were lower in the diets supplemented with AZ (p<0.05).
However, significant interaction of CP and AZ was found for feed intake (p<0.05).
This interaction was due to a similar feed intake of the hens under the l ow
PC, with or without AZ (92.1 vs 90.8 g, respectively) and to the significant
(p<0.05) reduction of feed intake in the high PC plus AZ diet (88.3 g) as
compared to the high PC without AZ diet (101.5 g). However, the reduction in
feed intake did not affect egg quality traits (p>0.05). Feed efficiency improved
slightly (p<0.06) in laying hens fed the lower CP diets. Nonetheless, significant
interaction (p<0.05) show that feed conversion improvement was greater in
laying hens fed high protein diets (2.22 vs 1.94 for 0 and 370 g t-1
of AZ, respectively) than for hens fed low CP (2.03 vs 2.08 for diets with or
without AZ, respectively). Non statistical differences for egg traits were found
(p>0.05) when diets with 16.6, 16.0 and 15.4% CP were compared (Table
4). However, feed intake, feed conversion and energy intake increased lineally
as CP was reduced in laying hen diets (p<0.08) (Table 5).
It is remarkable that TSAA amino acids and lysine intake were similar between
diets (p>0.05). This result suggests that hens tended to increase their feed
consumption to reach similar amino acids intake.
DISCUSSION
The lack of statistical differences between crude protein treatments (18.8
vs 16.6%) agree with other experiments where different crude protein levels,
in laying hens were evaluated (Novak et al., 2006;
Perez-Bonilla et al., 2012). However, the small
decrease of 4 g of food per day observed in the hens fed 16.6% CP was enough
to reduce TSAA and lysine consumption in comparison to the hens fed 18.8% CP
(Table 3).
This result agrees with that of Junqueira et al.
(2006) who reported that the consumption is reduced quadratically with decreasing
protein levels in laying hens. Similarly, feed consumption in broilers was reduced
when dietary CP decreased from 25 to 21%, even when limiting amino acids were
maintained (Blair et al., 1999). Other studies
did not report effect of CP reduction in laying hens diets on feed intake and
amino acids consumption, because regardless of the level of CP in the diet,
amino acid content was the same (Roberts et al.,
2007). Contrary, in this experiment CP and amino acid content in the diet
was reduced. Thus, although in this experiment there were no statistical differences
between treatments in feed intake, lower intake of TSAA and lysine were expected.
In the present study, utilization of Avyzime reduced markedly the feed intake
of hens, mainly of those fed the high CP diets. Contrary to our results, several
studies that exanimate the use of exogenous enzymes in poultry diets, did not
reporte a reduction in feed intake (Meng et al.,
2005; Jalal et al., 2007; Adeola
et al., 2008). However, AZ contain side effects of xylanase, amylase
and protease and was expected to improve energy and N utilization by increasing
the digestion of starch and nonstarch polysaccharides, thus releasing entrapped
nutrients (Adeola et al., 2008). Angel
et al. (2011) reported an increase in amino acid digestibility in
broilers supplemented with a protease in the diets. Similarly Adeola
et al., (2010) found that carbohydrate supplementation (xylanase
and amylase) improved 5.7% the metabolizable energy in practical corn soybean
meal based diets. Therefore, it is possible to assume that the additional energy
and the amino acids released in the diets supplemented with AZ caused a feed
intake reduction.
In the current study feed efficiency was improved noticeably in laying hens
fed the high CP plus AZ diets. An improvement in feed efficiency was expected
as a result of the decrease in feed intake and differences in egg weight between
treatments. As explained in the preceding paragraph, the enzyme probably released
more nutrients from the diet, which caused a reduction in consumption and thus
improved the feed efficiency. No statistical differences between treatments
were found for the egg traits, which suggest that the consumption of nutrients
in all treatments was enough to support egg production.
The increase in feed intake (90.8, 93.6 and 96.5 g day-1) and energy
intake (24.5 to 25.2 and 26.6 kcal day-1) and similar TSAA (0.58,
0.57 and 0.57) and lysine intakes (0.78, 0.77 and 0.75) when CP was reduced
(16.6 to 15.4 and 15% of CP), indicates that feed intake increased as CP is
reduced in the laying diets to meet constant TSAA and lysine intake. These results
agree with that of Panda et al. (2012) who reported
that, when nutrient density is decreased, the hen increases their feed intake
from 98.9 to 109.6 g hen-1 per day to achieve similar energy and
aminoacids intake. Rama Rao et al. (2011) found
that feed intake decreased linearly with increasing dietary concentration of
methionine in hens to achieve a similar methionine intake. Other researchers
reported that the level of dietary energy regulates food intake. To that respect,
Wu et al. (2005) mentioned that hens adjusted
their feed intake per day to achieve a constant energy intake, when the dietary
energy increased from 2,719 to 2,956 kcal of ME kg-1. However, in
our experiment it seems that energy consumption did not limit feed intake; it
appears that poultry feed consumption was adjusted to have a constant TSAA and
lysine intakes. Thus, it is recommendable to keep equal daily amounts of essential
amino acids, when reduced CP diets are used (Latshaw and
Zhao, 2011). Nevertheless, feed efficiency was reduced as a consequence
of the increase in feed intake, which may have an important economic impact.
In the present study, it was observed that the decrease of CP from 16.6 to
15.4 and 15.0% in the laying hen diets did not affect the egg, albumen and yolk
traits. Thus, the intakes of nutrients in the diets were adequate to support
the egg quality traits here studied, except for a slight increase in the height
of the albumen.
In conclusion, the addition of AZ in the diet reduced feed intake and improve
feed efficiency, although its effect was more marked in the diets with high
CP. The proportional reduction of CP and amino acids in the diet caused an increase
in feed intake and reduced feed efficiency.
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