Xylanase supplementation improves energy digestibility of wheat by-products in grower pigs

Value-added processing of cereals produces high-value fractions for food and bio-processing application and by-products that are used in animal nutrition to reduce feed costs. Wheat by-products contain arabinoxylans that might limit nutrient digestibility. Effects of xylanase supplementation (0 or 4375 U/kg feed) on energy digestibility were studied in a wheat control and by-product diets (30% millrun, middlings, shorts, screenings, and bran) in a 2 x 6 factorial arrangement. The wheat control diet was formulated to contain 3.34 Mcal digestible energy (DE)/kg and 2.8 g apparent digestible lysine/Mcal DE, and included 0.4% chromic oxide as a marker for digestibility. Twelve ileal-cannulated pigs (32.5 +/- 2.5 kg) were each fed seven of 12 diets. Faeces and then digesta were each collected for 2 d, and diet digestibility values are reported. Wheat had higher ileal and total-tract energy digestibility than by-products (P < 0.01). Xylanase improved energy digestibilities for by-products (P < 0.001) but not for wheat. Among by-products, ileal energy digestibility was lowest for middlings (62%), then bran < screenings < millrun, and highest for shorts (66%). Xylanase improved (P < 0.05) ileal energy digestibility of millrun by 19% to 76%. Total-tract energy digestibility of millrun improved from 72 to 79% (similar to wheat) with xylanase (P < 0.05). In summary, xylanase improved energy digestibility in the selected wheat by-product diets, indicating that arabinoxylans in wheat by-products limit nutrient digestibility.