Intestinal Development and Histomorphometry of Broiler Chickens FedTrichoderma reeseiDegraded Date Seed Diets

A study was conducted to investigate the impact of degraded date pits (DDP) on the development and morphology of the intestine in broilers.Trichoderma reeseiwas used to produce the DDP using a solid-state degradation method. One hundred and eighty broilers were divided into six treatments in triplicate groups of 10 chicks each. The dietary treatments were: positive control with corn-soy basal diet, negative control with corn-soy basal diet + 20% oxytetracycline at 0.05%, corn-soy basal diet + 10% DDP, corn-soy basal diet + 0.2% mannan-oligosaccharides (MOS), corn-soy basal diet + 0.2% mannose and corn-soy basal diet + 0.1% mannose for 6 weeks. The results indicate that a 10% DDP diet increased the activities of the pancreatic enzymes, the villus length, and the villus/crypt ratio, and decreased the crypt depth of the intestine. In conclusion, when compared to oxytetracycline and MOS, DDP can be used as a replacement for antibiotic growth promoters for broilers while improving gut development and intestinal health.