The role of wheat non-starch polysaccharides in broiler nutrition [chickens; review]
1993
Annison, G. (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, O'Halloran Hill (Australia). Div. of Human Nutrition)
It has been well established over a number of years that the apparent metabolisable energy (AME) value of wheat is highly variable. In 1983 and 1987 in Australia 2 surveys indicated that approximately 25 percent of wheats have AME values lower than 13 MJ per kg. DM (range 10.4-15.9 MJ per kg. DM). Following recent studies it has been proposed that the soluble non-starch polysaccharide cell-wall components of wheat (mainly arabinoxylan with some beta-glucan) have an anti-nutritive activity when wheats are present at high levels in broiler diets and are responsible for the low-AME wheat phenomenon. The main findings supporting this hypothesis are discussed. The AME depression is a result of the inhibition of starch, lipid and protein digestion in the fore-gut. The experiments and the data from the studies are reviewed and further aspects of the anti-nutritive activity of cereal polysaccharides in broiler diets are discussed. The possible role of the gut microflora in the growth depression observed when diets containing high levels of rye, barley and wheat are fed to broiler chickens is also examined.
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