Enzyme supplementation to corn and soybean meal diets for broilers

Energy and protein nutrient specifications in broiler rations in the United States are primarily met with corn and soybean meal, respectively, Little has been done to improve the nutrient availability of corn or soybean meal because they are considered to be highly digestible. However, the energy availability of the carbohydrate portion of soybean meal in poultry is low. Research has indicated that dietary alpha -galactosidase improves the energy availability of soybean meal. We conducted this research to determine whether a dietary enzyme preparation containing alpha -galactosidase would improve growth performance or carcass attributes of broilers fed corn and soybean meal diets. Three thousand six hundred straight-run commercial broilers were fed diets with or without an enzyme preparation primarily containing alpha -galactosidase during periods of hot temperature conditions. Broilers in the enzyme-supplemented treatment had significantly reduced 1- to 49-d feed conversion and mortality. A subsequent battery chick trial showed no beneficial effects of the enzyme on growth performance of male chicks. Commercial broilers reared in hot temperature conditions that received corn- and soybean meal-based diets supplemented with a-galactosidase might have improved performance.