ABSTRACT This study evaluated the effects of including Moringa oleifera (moringa) leaf meal on performance, carcass yield and characteristics, and relative organ weights of broilers from 10 to 42 days of age. We distributed 420 male Cobb 500 chicks in a completely randomized design with five treatments and six replicates with 14 birds each. Treatments consisted of five experimental diets in which the moringa leaf meal was included at 0, 1.5, 3.0, 4.5, and 6.0% in the diets. The following performance variables were evaluated: weight gain, feed intake, and feed conversion; weights and yields of carcass, carcass traits, organs, and abdominal fat; and feet color. Significant differences between the treatment means were analyzed by Dunnett’s test. The meal inclusion levels did not affect performance, carcass characteristics and yield, or organs weight. However, feet pigmentation increased linearly, and abdominal fat was greater only at the 1.5% level when compared with the control group. Moringa leaf meal can be included in the diet of broilers from 10 to 42 days of age, up to the level of 6%, without compromising performance or carcass yield of these birds.

ABSTRACT The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of including whole corn germ (WCG) on the performance; diet metabolizability; yields of carcass, cuts, and offal; and quality of meat of broilers. A total of 648 chicks were assigned to six treatments in a completely randomized design with six replicates, with 18 birds in each. Treatments consisted of a corn- and soybean meal-based control diet (0 g kg−1 WCG) and five test diets including WCG at the levels of 40, 80, 120, 160, and 200 g kg−1. Birds and diets were weighed at each seven days to determine feed intake (FI), body weight gain (BWG), and feed conversion ratio (FCR). The partial collection methodology was employed to determine the apparent metabolizable energy (AME), nitrogen-corrected AME (AMEn), and the apparent metabolizability coefficients of gross energy (AMCGE), dry matter (AMCDM), crude protein (AMCCP), and ether extract (AMCEE) of the diets. In the evaluation of meat quality, we analyzed the pH, cooking losses, shear force, water-holding capacity, color, and peroxide index of the meat. There was a difference for BWG and FCR in the total rearing period (1 to 42 days), for which optimum BWG was estimated as 2921 g/bird, with 118 g kg−1 inclusion of WCG. There was no difference for the AME, AMEn, and AMCCP of the diets, although AMCGE, AMCDM, and AMCEE declined as WCG was included. The increasing levels of WCG did not influence the yields of carcass and cuts or the meat quality. There was an increase in the yield of gizzard and proventriculus. Whole corn germ can be used at low levels in the diet of broilers without compromising their productive rates.

ABSTRACT The objective of this study was to evaluate levels of inclusion of an enzyme complex (EC) in corn- and soybean meal-based diets for laying hens on the digestibility of nutrients and energy. A metabolism trial was conducted using 75 Dekalb Brown laying hens at 26 weeks of age, which were distributed into five treatments with five replicates in a completely randomized design. The ingredients used in the diets received an additional (enriched) 3% methionine, lysine, cysteine, threonine, tryptophan, and metabolizable energy and 33.3% phosphorus. Treatments consisted of diets including 0, 150, 200, 250, or 300 mg.kg‒1 EC. We determined apparent metabolizable energy (AME); nitrogen-corrected AME (AMEn); apparent metabolizability coefficients of dry matter (DMAM), crude protein (CPAM), gross energy (GEAM), and phosphorus (PAM); digestible crude protein (CPD); and intake, retention, and excretion of phosphorus. No effects of EC levels were detected on the metabolizable energy values or digestibility coefficients, except for CPAM, which showed a quadratic response (maximum coefficient at 89.0 mg.kg‒1EC). A quadratic effect was also observed for CPD (minimum at 115 mg.kg‒1 EC), P excretion (maximum at 173.2 mg.kg‒1 EC), and P retention (maximum at 122.4 mg.kg‒1 EC) when EC was used. The use of the EC in corn- and soybean meal-based diets for laying hens improves their ileal digestibility of protein and apparent digestibility of phosphorus. However, EC addition to the diets does not affect AME, AMEn, or their metabolizability coefficients.

ABSTRACT The objective of this study was to determine prediction equations to estimate the nitrogen-corrected apparent metabolizable energy (AMEn) values of animal meals used in broiler diets through meta-analysis. A bibliographic review was undertaken with studies conducted in Brazil from 2000 to 2016 to catalogue information on AMEn values and the following chemical elements in the composition of the feedstuffs: crude protein (CP), ether extract (EE), gross energy (GE), mineral matter (MM), calcium (Ca), and phosphorus (P). Groups were also catalogued and formed according to sex and age of birds. Chemical correlations were analyzed, and a multiple linear regression model with the stepwise procedure was used to examine the association between the variables, which were included in the equation as a function of their importance. High and significant correlation coefficients between the independent (GE, MM, CP, EE, Ca, and P) and dependent variable (AMEn) contribute to the understanding of variations in the energy values of these feedstuffs. According to the coefficients of determination, the best equations to estimate AMEn of poultry offal meal and meat and bone meal are AMEn = 6139 − 45.5 CP + 0.356 GE − 123.5 MM ( R 2 = 0.8302 ) and AMEn = 2267 + 19.9 CP + 67.9 EE − 44.4 MM ( R 2 = 0.9021 ) , respectively.