Abstract

AYDIN, Ö. Durna et al. Feeding Japanese quail diets supplemented with probiotics and enzymes. S. Afr. j. anim. sci. [online]. 2022, vol.52, n.3, pp.383-391. ISSN 2221-4062.  http://dx.doi.org/10.4314/sajas.v52i3.13.

This study assessed the effects of dietary supplementation with probiotics and enzymes on performance, blood antioxidant capacity, and cecal short-chain fatty acid concentration. Two hundred one-day-old quail chicks were randomly divided into four groups, each containing 50 chicks. All the chicks were fed with a basal diet for 35 days. The control group was fed the basal diet, and the experimental groups were fed the basal diet augmented with a commercial probiotic and enzyme supplement at 0.5 g/kg, 1 g/kg and 2 g/kg. At the end of experiment, initial live weight, final live weight, live weight gain and feed intake were affected significantly by the addition of the supplement. However, the supplement did not influence the feed conversion ratio. Increasing the levels of the probiotic and enzyme supplement Diazyme 256 in the diets caused linear and quadratic responses in malondialdehyde, glutathione, superoxide dismutase, and glutathione peroxidase level. Catalase showed a linear increase with the rise in level of the supplement. However, ceruloplasmin, albumin, total protein and globulin were not affected. Significant linear responses were observed in propionic acid, butyric acid and isocaproic acid with the increasing levels of the supplement. There were no significant differences in acetic acid, isobutyric acid, valeric acid, isovaleric acid, caproic acid, branched chain fatty acids, and short chain fatty acid concentrations for quails fed various levels of the supplement. In conclusion, the supplement Diazyme 256 containing probiotics and enzymes could be used in quail diets to improve growth performance, antioxidant capacity and intestinal health.

Keywords : antioxidant capacity; growth performance; short-chain fatty acid.

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