Impact of Exogenous Xylanase and Phytase, Individually or in Combination, on Performance, Digesta Viscosity and Carcass Characteristics in Broiler Birds Fed Wheat-Based Diets

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Wheat is a staple food in Pakistan and Government of Pakistan stores huge amount of wheat every year to maintain food supply chains especially during scarcity period. Every year, surplus stored wheat is provided to poultry feed manufacturers at lower price and poultry feed manufacturers use stored wheat in diet of poultry with different exogenous enzymes. However, no data is available on the utilization of stored wheat (1.5 and 2.5 years storage) with or without exogenous enzymes in broilers. This study will provide evidence that storage of wheat will require exogenous enzymes in the diet of broilers for enhanced productivity. ABSTRACT: The current study was conducted to evaluate the effects of stored wheat-based diet (1.5 and 2.5 years stored wheat) with and without the supplementation of xylanase and phytase enzymes in combination or individually on performance parameters, digestibility, digesta viscosity and carcass characteristics of broilers. For this purpose, a total of 640-day-old male broilers were randomly distributed to the 64 pens, and each pen had 10 birds. Two basal isocaloric and isonitrogenous diets contained 1.5 and 2.5 years stored wheat were formulated in this experiment. In the current study, experimental feeds were prepared by supplementing exogenous enzymes in both basal diets with xylanase (500 XU), phytase (500 FTU) alone or in a combination of phytase and xylanase. Performance parameters data represents that both in starter phase and finisher phase, inclusion of exogenous enzymes xylanase and phytase in both basal diets alone or in combination enhance the feed intake, and body weight gain (p < 0.05) and improve the feed conversion ratio in overall phase (p < 0.05). Similarly, supplementation of exogenous xylanase and phytase alone or in combination enhance the nutrient digestibility and reduce the digesta viscosity (p < 0.05). Based on the results of this experiment, it is concluded that supplementation of exogenous xylanase and phytase enzymes alone or in combination in wheat-based diets (stored wheat 1.5 and 2.5 years) enhance and improves the performance of birds.