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 av
ailability of the carbohydrate portion of soybean meal in poultry is low. R
esearch has indicated that dietary alpha -galactosidase improves the energy
availability of soybean meal. We conducted this research to determine whet
her a dietary enzyme preparation containing alpha -galactosidase would impr
ove growth performance or carcass attributes of broilers fed corn and soybe
an meal diets.
Three thousand six hundred straight-run commercial broilers were fed diets
with or without an enzyme preparation primarily containing alpha -galactosi
dase during periods of hot temperature conditions. Broilers in the enzyme-s
upplemented treatment had significantly reduced 1- to 49-d feed conversion
and mortality. A subsequent battery chick trial showed no beneficial effect
s of the enzyme on growth performance of male chicks. Commercial broilers r
eared in hot temperature conditions that received corn- and soybean meal-ba
sed diets supplemented with a-galactosidase might have improved performance
.