peer-reviewedThe object of this experiment was to investigate the effect of an enzyme complex and a
probiotic mixture, offered either singly or in combination, in the diet of broiler chickens
(from 1 to 47 days of age) on growth and digestive tract weight and length. A total of
480 1-day old male Ross-308 broilers were allocated to 6 treatments, with 4 replicates of
20 birds each. The treatments were three concentrations of an enzyme complex (0, 250
or 500 mg/kg of the diet) each with and without probiotic supplementation. Inclusion
of the enzyme complex linearly improved body weight (BW) and food conversion ratio
(FCR) and reduced the relative weight (g/g carcass weight) of duodenum and the
length of the jejunum. Probiotic inclusion only improved FCR. However, there was an
interaction between the linear effect of enzyme concentration and response to probiotic
inclusion for BW, FCR and the relative weight of the duodenum. It is concluded that the
combination of the enzyme complex and probiotic can improve the performance more
than either supplement used on its own

Momtazan, R.

Moravej, H.

Taheri, H.R.

Zaghari, M.

Irish Journal of Agricultural and Food Research

English

T-Stór

249Irish Journal of Agricultural and Food Research 50: 249–254, 2011†Corresponding author: taherihr@gmail.comA note on the effects of a combination of an enzyme complex and probiotic in the diet on performance of broiler chickensR. Momtazan1, H. Moravej1, M. Zaghari1 and H.R. Taheri2†1Department of Animal Science, University College of Agricultural and Natural Resources, University of Tehran, 31587-11167 Karaj, Iran2Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Zanjan, 45195-313 Zanjan, IranThe object of this experiment was to investigate the effect of an enzyme complex and a probiotic mixture, offered either singly or in combination, in the diet of broiler chickens (from 1 to 47 days of age) on growth and digestive tract weight and length. A total of 480 1-day old male Ross-308 broilers were allocated to 6 treatments, with 4 replicates of 20 birds each. The treatments were three concentrations of an enzyme complex (0, 250 or 500 mg/kg of the diet) each with and without probiotic supplementation. Inclusion of the enzyme complex linearly improved body weight (BW) and food conversion ratio (FCR) and reduced the relative weight (g/g carcass weight) of duodenum and the length of the jejunum. Probiotic inclusion only improved FCR. However, there was an interaction between the linear effect of enzyme concentration and response to probiotic inclusion for BW, FCR and the relative weight of the duodenum. It is concluded that the combination of the enzyme complex and probiotic can improve the performance more than either supplement used on its own. Keywords: broiler; enzyme; performance; probiotic IntroductionPrevious studies have indicated a benefi-cial effect of dietary inclusion of probiotics (Mountzouris et al. 2010), enzymes (García et al. 2008) or enzyme complex (Oryschak et al. 2010; Rebolé et al. 2010) on the per-formance of broilers. An improvement in food efficiency due to dietary inclusion of probiotic has been attributed changes in the gastrointestinal tract that facilitate 250     IRISH JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL AND FOOD RESEARCH, VOL. 50, NO. 2, 2011digestion and absorption of nutrients. This may reflect various physiological changes in the contents of gastrointestinal tract, including increased short chain fatty acid production, antimicrobial substances, stimulation of the immune system, and competition for nutrients and adhesion sites in the gastrointestinal tract (Jin et al. 1997; Vandeplas et al. 2009; Taheri et al. 2009), and therefore may contribute towards excluding pathogen colonization in the host. Exogenous enzymes are usually incor-porated in poultry wheat- or barley-based diets to degrade the anti-nutritive, fac-tors such as arabinoxylans of wheat, or β-glucans of barley, and consequently improve nutrient digestibility and the growth performance of poultry (Simon 2000; García et al. 2008). Several studies have shown that such enzymes also reduce the colonization of the gut by pathogens (Vahjen et al. 1998; Danicke et al. 1999; Hubener, Vahjen and Simon 2002). Hence, it was supposed that there may be an inter-action between the effects of probiotic and enzyme complex especially in a diets based on wheat and barley. For example, Vandeplas et al. (2009) investigated the efficiency of a Lactobacillus plantarum-xylanase combination on growth perfor-mance of broilers infected with Salmonella serotype Typhimurium. Therefore the objective was to evaluate the interac-tion effect between an enzyme complex and probiotic inclusion for growth perfor-mance of non-infected broiler chickens. The commercially suggested level of an enzyme complex and also half concentra-tion with or without probiotic supplemen-tation were used to test this assumption.Material and MethodsFour hundred and eighty 1-day old male Ross-308 broiler chicks were randomly divided into 24 groups. Each treatment had 4 replicates and each replicate was assigned to a cage (2.5 m × 1.25 m) with 20 broilers. Birds were raised in on-floor cages and in an environmentally con-trolled house; they were exposed to a 23:1 light:dark cycle and had ad libitum access to water and feed. The experiment consisted of a 3×2 factorial arrangement of treatments: three concentrations of enzyme complex (0, 250 and 500 mg/kg of the diet) with and without probi-otic supplementation. The commercially recommended levels of the probiotic supplement (Primalac, Star-Labs, USA) were used; 900, 450 and 225 mg/kg of the diet for starter, grower and finisher periods, respectively. The probiotic mix-ture contained L. acidophilus, L. casei, Bifidobacterium bifidum, Enterococcus faecium at viable number of 2×108 colony forming units per 1 kg of the supplement. Commercially recommended inclusion of the enzyme complex was 500 mg/kg of the diet; the complex contained β-glucanase, α-amylase, cellulase, protease and lipase. All procedures were approved by the Animal Care and Welfare Committee of the University of Tehran. All diets were based on wheat-barley-soya. Addition of bran, corn, gluten meal and vegetable oil were chosen so that all diets had a metabo-lizable energy concentration of 12.1 MJ/kg and 221.5, 184.1 and 172.3 g/kg crude protein for starter (1 to 10 days), grower (11 to 28 days), and finisher (29 to 47 days) periods, respectively. The formula-tion of the diets was based on guidelines for Ross-308 broilers (Broiler Nutrition Specification 2007).Broilers were weighed on days 10, 28 and 47 to determine average body weight (BW) per cage and weight gain was calculated. Average initial weight of all chicks was 39 g. Food intake per cage was recorded at the same ages and food  MOMTAZAN ET AL.: PERFORMANCE OF BROILER CHICKENS 251conversion ratio (FCR) was calculated for all growth periods. At 47 days of age, 2 birds from each cage were sacrificed to measure length and relative weight (g/g of carcass weight) of duodenum, jejunum and ileum. Data were analyzed as a complete-ly randomized design using Proc GLM procedure of SAS (2003) with pen as the experimental unit. The response to increasing concentration of dietary enzyme and its interaction with probi-otic were partitioned using orthogonal polynomial contrasts. Since the quad-ratic components were not significant for any response variable, these are not displayed in the results section. Means were compared using the Tukey-Kramer procedure. Results and DiscussionPerformance improvement of broil-er chickens by addition of feed addi-tives in the diets has been known for several decades. Enzymes in wheat or barley-based diet and probiotic as an alternative of antibiotics, are some of the outstanding ones for this purpose. Combination of some feed additives with together in the diet formulation some-time can enhance their effectiveness. The results (Table 1) show that inclu-sion of the enzyme complex linearly improved BW at 28 (P < 0.003) and 47 (P < 0.002) days of age, representing increases of 8.4% compared to the non-supplemented group, but addition of probiotic had no effect on growth at any point. Food intake was not affected by the treatment, but addition of the enzyme complex improved the FCR in a linear fashion (P < 0.01). The high concentration of the enzyme complex reduced FCR (P < 0.01) by 0.13 over the 47 day period. Furthermore, addition of the probiotic improved FCR (P < 0.05) (for days 1 to 10 and 1 to 47). There was an interaction between the linear response to enzyme complex concentra-tion and probiotic inclusion for growth performance. Probiotic inclusion boosted the effect of enzyme complex on BW (at 28 and 47 days of age) and on FCR (for the whole period). Thus the combination of enzyme and probiotic in the diet can enhance the food efficiency more than that when used singly. One reason for this interaction may be a reduction of intestinal pathogen level: enzymes, by degrading the anti-nutritive factors and so reducing the viscosity of the digesta, and probiotic, by increasing the benefi-cial microflora, production of antimicro-bial components, short chain fatty acids and lowering the pH of digestive tract.The inclusion of the enzyme complex caused a linear reduction in the length of the jejunum (P <0.01) and in the relative weight of the duodenum (P <0.01) and ileum (P <0.05) and this effect exhibited a significant interaction with probiotic inclusion for each of these components (Table 2). The interaction reflected the fact that the linear reduction was greater in the absence of probiotic than when pro-biotic was included. The positive effect of enzyme complex on length of jejunum and relative weight of duodenum implies an effect on degradation of anti-nutritive factors. Such degradation reduces the viscosity of the digesta and consequently a negative effect on intestinal weight and length. Typical probiotics do not have any ability to hydrolyze non-starch poly-saccharides. Probiotic inclusion is not expected to change the physical proper-ties of the digestive tract; the interaction of enzyme level and probiotic inclusion for the relative weight of duodenum was unexpected and we cannot offer any explanation. 252     IRISH JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL AND FOOD RESEARCH, VOL. 50, NO. 2, 2011Table 1. Growth performance of birds offered diets containing an enzyme complex with or without probioticItemLevel†Body weight (g) at dayFood intake (g) for daysFood conversion ratio for days10 28 47 1 to 10 11 to 28 29 to 47 1 to 471 to 10 11 to 28 29 to 47 1 to 47Probiotic01799142 1792261 1542 5553 8921.63a1.592.021.84a11869302 1972191 1132 4903 7811.49b1.511.971.77bEnzyme complex0177881b2 113b2241 1312 5433 8611.631.612.061.87a1183918ab2 150b2171 1272 4583 7611.521.552.001.80ab2188966a2 301a2251 1422 5683 8871.521.481.921.74bs.e. for Probiotic3.413.923.72.320.741.547.40.0450.0310.0390.023 Enzyme complex4.217.129.02.925.450.858.10.0560.0380.0480.028Significance of: Linear effect of enzyme level******* Interaction‡*******†  For probiotic 0 = without and 1= with probiotic; for enzyme complex 0 = none, 1 = 250 mg/kg of the diet, and 2 = 500 mg/kg of the diet.‡ Between the linear effect of enzyme level and probiotic inclusion; subclass means for BW at day 28 were: 864,903, 975,899,934 957 (s.e. 24.1) g for increasing levels of enzyme complex in the absence and presence of probiotic, respectively; the corresponding means for body weight at day 47 were: 2098, 2172, 2266, 2128, 2128, 2336 (s.e. 41.1); and 1.89,1.84,1.80,1.86,1.76,1.69 (s.e. 0.041) for food conversion ratio for the interval 1 to 47 days.abc Means for probiotic inclusion or enzyme level, within a column, without a superscript in common are significantly different (P < 0.05). MOMTAZAN ET AL.: PERFORMANCE OF BROILER CHICKENS 253It is concluded that the combination of the enzyme complex and probiotic can improve the performance more than either supplement used on its own. ReferencesBroiler Nutrition Specifications, 2007. Ross 308 Broiler Nutrition Specifications. Aviagen, Midlothian, Scotland, 8 pages. http://www.docin.com/p-48802874.html (accessed April 27, 2012).Danicke, S., Vahjen, W., Simon, O. and Jeroch, H. 1999. Effects of dietary fat type and xyla-nase supplementation to rye-based broiler diets on selected bacterial groups adhering to the intestinal epithelium, on transit time of feed, and on nutrient digestibility. Poultry Science 78: 1292–1299.García, M., Lázaro, R., Latorre, M.A., Gracia, M.I. and Mateos, G.G. 2008. Influence of enzyme supplementation and heat processing of barley on digestive traits and productive performance of broilers. Poultry Science 87: 940–948. Hubener, K., Vahjen, W. and Simon, O. 2002. Bacterial responses to different dietary cere-al types and xylanase supplementation in the intestine of broiler chicken. Archive of Animal Nutrition 56: 167–187. Jin, L.Z., Ho, Y.W., Abdullah, N. and Jalaludin, S. 1997. Probiotics in poultry: Modes of action. World’s Poultry Science Journal 53: 351–368.Mountzouris, K.C., Tsitrsiko, P., Palamidi, I., Arvaniti, A., Mohani, M., Schatzmayr, G. and Fegeros, K. 2010. Effects of probiotic inclusion levels in broiler nutrition on growth performance, nutri-ent digestibility, plasma immunoglobulins, and cecal microflora composition. Poultry Science 89: 58–67.Oryschak, M., Korver, D., Zuidhof, M. and Beltranena, E. 2010. Nutritive value of single-screw extruded and nonextruded triticale distill-ers dried grains with solubles, with and without an enzyme complex, for broilers. Poultry Science 89: 1411–1423.Rebolé, A., Ortiz, L.T., Rodríguez, M.L., Alzueta, C., Treviño, J. and Velasco, S. 2010. Effects of inulin and enzyme complex, individually or in combination, on growth performance, intestinal microflora, cecal fermentation characteristics, and jejunal histomorphology in broiler chickens fed a wheat- and barley-based diet. Poultry Science 89: 276–286.SAS. 2003. Version 9.1. SAS Institute Inc., Cary, N.C., U.S.A.Simon, O. 2000. Non starch polysaccharide (NSP) hydrolysing enzymes as feed additives: Mode of action in the gastrointestinal tract. Lohmann Infection 23: 7–13.Taheri, H.R., Moravej, H., Tabandeh, F., Zaghari, M. and Shivazad, M. 2009. Screening of lactic acid bacteria toward their selection as a source of chicken probiotic. Poultry Science 88: 1586–1593.Table 2. Mean values for relative weight and the length of the components of the small intestine of birds offered diets containing combinations of an enzyme complex with or without probioticItem Digestive tract measurement†DR JR IR DL JL ILEnzyme complex (mg/kg diet)  0 0.93a 1.97 1.69 32.0 83.6a 85.6  250 0.86ab 1.87 1.66 30.2 77.6ab 79.4  500 0.79b 1.77 1.52 32.1 76.0b 78.0s.e. 0.029 0.072 0.053 0.78 2.01 2.47Significance of : Linear effect of enzyme level ** * ** * Interaction‡ ** * *† DR, JR and IR = relative weights (g/g carcass) of duodenum, jejunum and ileum, respectively; DL, JL and IL= length (cm) of duodenum, jejunum and ileum, respectively.‡ Between linear effect of enzyme level and probiotic inclusion; the subclass means for DR were: 0.98, 0.89, 0.75, 0.87, 0.84, 0.84 (s.e. 0.041) g/g for increasing levels of enzyme complex in the absence and presence of probiotic, respectively; the corresponding means for IR were: 1.81, 1.75, 1.45, 1.58, 1.57, 1.59 (s.e. 0.076), respectively; and for JL the corresponding means were: 82.6, 80.5, 76.6, 84.3, 78.3, 79.3 (s.e. 3.50), respec-tively.abc Means, within a column, without a superscript in common are significantly different (P < 0.05).254     IRISH JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL AND FOOD RESEARCH, VOL. 50, NO. 2, 2011Vahjen, W., Glaser, K., Schafer, K. and Simon, O. 1998. Influence of xylanase-supplemented feed on the development of selected bacterial groups in the intestinal tract of broiler chicks. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 130: 489–500.Vandeplas, S., Dubois Dauphin, R., Thiry, C., Beckers, Y., Welling, G.W., Thonart, P. and Théwis, A. 2009. Efficiency of a Lactobacillus plantarum-xylanase combination on growth performances, microflora populations, and nutrient digestibilities of broilers infected with Salmonella Typhimurium. Poultry Science 88: 1643–1654.Received 29 June 2010

Bacterial responses to different dietary cereal types and xylanase supplementation in the intestine of broiler chicken.

Effects of dietary fat type and xylanase supplementation to rye-based broiler diets on selected bacterial groups adhering to the intestinal epithelium, on transit time of feed, and on nutrient digestibility.

Effects of inulin and enzyme complex, individually or in combination, on growth performance, intestinal microflora, cecal fermentation characteristics, and jejunal histomorphology in broiler chickens fed a wheat- and barley-based diet.

Effects of probiotic inclusion levels in broiler nutrition on growth performance, nutrient digestibility, plasma immunoglobulins, and cecal microflora composition.

Influence of enzyme supplementation and heat processing of barley on digestive traits and productive performance of broilers.

Nutritive value of singlescrew extruded and nonextruded triticale distillers dried grains with solubles, with and without an enzyme complex, for broilers.

Probiotics in poultry: Modes of action.

Ross 308 Broiler Nutrition Specifications.

Screening of lactic acid bacteria toward their selection as a source of chicken probiotic.

Version 9.1.

A note on the effects of a combination of an enzyme complex and probiotic in the diet on performance of broiler chickens

A note on the effects of a combination of an enzyme complex and probiotic in the diet on performance of broiler chickens

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