The effect of pectinase and α-galactosidase supplementation on the nutritive value of peas for broiler chickens

Abstract

A total of 192 3-d-old male broiler chickens (Arbor Acres) were randomly assigned to six dietary treatments with eight replicates of four birds each per treatment. The treatments consisted of five levels (0, 50, 75, 100 and 125 U kg−1) of pectinase enzyme and a combination of pectinase (50 U kg−1) and α-galactosidase (6250 U kg−1) enzymes. The performance trial lasted for 2 wk. At the end of 2 wk, excreta were collected on three diets to determine nitrogen-corrected apparent metabolizable energy (AMEn). Growth rate, feed intake and feed conversion of birds fed pea diets supplemented with graded levels of pectinase enzyme were not different from their counterparts fed a diet without pectinase supplementation; however, growth rate tended to be improved (P = 0.11). Also, the AMEn values of these diets were not affected. Compared with the control diet, addition of a combination of pectinase and α-galactosidase tended to improve growth rate (P = 0.06). Key words: Peas, pectinase, α -galactosidase, broiler chicken