EFFECT OF AN ENZYMATIC COMPLEX ON EGG PRODUCTION AND QUALITY, TOTAL PLASMA PROTEIN LEVELS AND CECAL BACTERIAL COUNT OF LAYERS

Abstract

This study aimed to relate the egg production with health status, expressed as cecal bacteria contamination, as well as to investigate the effect of total plasma proteins with egg quality of layers fed different diets reformulated to different metabolizable energy levels using an enzyme complex, obtained by solid state fermentation.  A total of  384 26-week old Hisex Brown layers were fed experimental diets during 280 days (10 periods of 28 days each). A total of 4 birds were allocated per cage, in a total of 64 birds/treatment. Treatments consisted in reformulating diets to different metablizable energy levels using an enzyme complex (EC) obtained by  solid state fermentation:   T1 – basal diet (control); T2 –  basal diet  + EC (reformulated to  120 kcal ME/kg); T3 – basal diet + EC (reformulated to 90 kcal ME/kg); T4 – basal diet + EC (reformulated to 60 kcal ME/kg); T5 – basal diet + EC (reformulated to 30 kcal ME/kg) and T6 – basal diet + EC ( on top). Egg production, egg weight, Haugh units, albumen weight, total plasma proteins and cecal bacteria count were evaluated.  Egg weight and albumen weight and cecal bacteria count, but not egg production, Haugh units and total plasma proteins,   were adversely affected when the EC was added on top of a diet containing a regular commercial premix. This study indicates that the health status of the gut can be improved by adding the SSF enzyme complex on top of a regular diet.

KEY WORDS: Exogenous enzymes, Haugh units, sanitary status.