The effect of multi-carbohydrase preparations on non-starch polysaccharides degradation and growth performance of broiler chickens fed diets containing high inclusion level of canola meal

Although canola meal (CM) contains a significant amount of dietary fiber, including high concentrations of non-starch polysaccharides (NSP), it is still a valuable source of protein for poultry diets. Supplementation of CM-containing poultry diets with multi-carbohydrase enzymes is an effective approach to improve the nutrition value of CM. The enzymatic degradation of NSP will contribute to the production of NSP hydrolysis products, which may improve gut health and growth performance. A series of in vitro incubation studies was carried out to determine if various carbohydrase preparations can target NSP of CM. The most effective enzyme combination was studied further in a growth performance and NSP utilization trial (1–20 d of age) with Ross 308 broiler chickens. Broilers were assigned to 3 dietary treatments each consisting of 8 cages of 5 birds and were fed a control corn/CM-based starter and grower diets (Control) or diets supplemented with an enzyme blend at two levels: 0.3 and 1.5 g/kg. Starter (1–10d) and grower (11–20d) diets contained 270 and 290 g/kg of CM, respectively. In the in vitro studies, the highest NSP depolymerization was observed for a combination of two pectinase-like enzymes fortified with xylanase. No further improvement with other enzyme preparations was observed. In comparison to the Control diets, birds fed the diet supplemented with 1.5 g/kg of multi-carbohydrase cocktail showed higher (P < 0.05) body weight gain during the grower phase and the entire trial. The carbohydrase enzyme combination significantly increased the coefficient of apparent total tract NSP digestibility. Our research suggests that the administration of a carbohydrase cocktail in diets with high inclusion of CM can improve growth performance and NSP utilization in broiler chickens.