Supplemental Enzyme and Probiotics on the Growth Performance and Nutrient Digestibility of Broilers Fed with a Newly Harvested Corn Diet

A new grain phenomenon happens in newly harvested corn because of its high content of anti-nutritional factors (ANFs), which can cause low nutrient digestibility and diarrhea in animals. Enzymes and probiotics have been shown to relieve the negative effect of ANFs for animals. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of enzymes and probiotics on the performance and nutrient digestibility of broilers, fed with newly harvested corn diets. A total of 624 Arbor Acres Plus male broiler chickens were randomly divided into eight treatment groups (A: normal corn diet, CT: newly harvested corn diet, DE: newly harvested corn diet + glucoamylase, PT: newly harvested corn diet + protease, XL: newly harvested corn diet + xylanase, BCC: newly harvested corn diet + Pediococcus acidilactici BCC-1, DE + PT: newly harvested corn diet + glucoamylase + protease, XL + BCC: newly harvested corn diet + xylanase + Pediococcus acidilactici BCC-1). Each group was divided into six replicates, with 13 birds each. On day 21, growth performance, nutrient digestibility, and digestive enzyme activity were measured. Compared with the normal corn diet (PC), the newly harvested corn diet (NC) produced shorter digesta emptying time (p = 0.015) and increased visual fecal water content (p = 0.002) of broilers, however, there was no effect on performance. Compared to the newly harvested corn diet (NC), supplemental enzyme of DE increased the activity of chymotrypsin (p = 0.016), however, no differences in the digestibility of three kinds of organic matter, digesta emptying time, visual fecal water content, or performance were found. Supplemental protease (PT) significantly increased digesta emptying time (p = 0.004) and decreased the activity of maltase (p = 0.007). However, it had no effect on the digestibility of three kinds of organic matter or the performance of broilers. Supplemental xylanase (XL) decreased the activity of amylase (p = 0.006) and maltase (p < 0.001); however, it had no effect on digesta emptying time, visual fecal water content, the digestibility of three kinds of organic matter, or performance of broilers. Supplemental DE, combined with PT (DE + PT), increased the digesta emptying time (p = 0.016) while decreasing the visual fecal water content (p = 0.011), and the activity of amylase (p = 0.011), lipase (p = 0.021), and maltase (p < 0.001), however, there was no effect on performance. Supplemental BCC individually decreased the activity of amylase (p = 0.024) and maltase (p < 0.001), however, it increased the activity of trypsin (p < 0.001) and tended to improve feed conversion ratio (FCR) (p = 0.081). Supplemental BCC-1, combined with XL (XL + BCC), increased the activity of trypsin (p = 0.001) but decreased the activity of amylase (p = 0.013), lipase (p = 0.019), and maltase (p < 0.001). Pediococcus acidilactici BCC-1 (10⁹ cfu/kg), protease (800,000 U/g) individually, or protease (800,000 U/g) in combination with glucoamylase (800,000 U/g) were supplemented in newly harvested corn diets for growing broilers. Hence, this study mainly explores the alleviation effect of enzyme and probiotics on the negative phenomenon caused by the utilization of newly harvested corn in broilers and provides a better solution for the utilization of newly harvested corn in production practice.