RESEARCH ARTICLE
DIETARY PHYTASE SUPPLEMENTATION ON EGG QUALITY TRAITS IN WHITE LEGHORN STRAIN CROSS CHICKEN Sukumar. D1 and Jalaludeen. A2 College of veterinary and Animal Sciences Mannuthy
ABSTRACT One hundred and fifty White Leghorn strain cross pullets (Athulya) were subjected to evaluate the effect of Phytase enzyme on certain egg quality parameters. The birds were grouped in to five treatments, viz., control (T1), fed with standard layer ration, T2, fed with low available Phosphorus layer ration. T3, T4 and T5 groups were formed with supplementation of 200, 300 and 400 units of enzyme per kg feed, respectively in T2 diet. Significant improvement (p<0.01) was noticed in egg weight, egg shell thickness, egg shell weight and egg specific gravity. Based on the egg quality traits studied it was found that, supplementation of 200 units of phytase per kg of low available phosphorus layer diet, the available phosphorus level in the feed could be reduced to 0.3 percent.
1. Assistant Professor, Dept. Of Poultry Science, COVAS, Mannuthy 2. Director of Academics and Research, KVASU
Materials and methods: One hundred and fifty, 18 weeks old White Leghorn strain cross, â&#x20AC;?ATHULYAâ&#x20AC;? pullets formed the subjects of this experiment. The birds were grouped in five treatments each with three replicates of ten birds each and reared up to forty weeks of age. Two types of ration viz. standard layer ration as per BIS (1992) and layer ration with low available phosphorus were used in this study.Low available Phosphorus layer ration was formulated keeping the level of available phosphorus at 0.3 percent without including DCP. The levels of all other nutrients were similar to that of standard layer ration. The enzyme used in this study was NATUPHOS -5000 a Phosphatase enzyme of fungal origin (Aspergillus sp)
Issue 1 April 2012
As Poultry population in the Country is increasing rapidly, Poultry feed requirement is also increasing in a huge quantity. Cereals and plant materials which constitute major part of Poultry feeds contain phosphorus in the form of Phytic acid. Only 30 percent of plant phosphorus can be utilized by poultry and the remaining part excreted and causes environmental pollution by eutrophication .In addition, the phytic acid may combine with inorganic elements such as calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium, etc. in the diet and make it unavailable for the birds. In order to make it biologically available, it is necessary to hydrolyse the phytin by a phosphatase enzyme, phytase. Absence of phytase in the digestive tract of poultry necessitates the use of extraneous source of enzyme and thereby avoids the addition of other phosphorus source in poultry ration. Dicalcium Phosphate (DCP) is a costly feed ingredient usually added in poultry feed as a phosphorus source. So
incorporation of phytase can eliminate addition of DCP. Also phosphorus have major role in improving the shell quality which there by avoids easy breakage of eggs and increase keeping quality. Hence a study on supplementation of phytase enzyme on egg quality traits in White Leghorn strain cross Chicken was carried out.
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INTRODUCTION
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RESEARCH ARTICLE
containing phytase as the only component. The five treatments are as follows.
comparable. Among the low available phosphorus layer ration fed groups, significant (P < 0.01) increase in egg weight in the enzyme supplemented groups may be attributed to the significantly increased shell thickness noticed in these groups. The result of this trait closely agree with reports made by Gordon and Roland (1997), Gordon and Roland (1998), Hadorn and Weidmer (1998) and Rao et.al (1999) ,whereas Carlos and Edwards (1998) could not observe any improvement in egg size with supplementation of Phytase may be due to variation in egg weight by change in season, clutch size, body weight, age at sexual maturity and management problems.
T1 - Birds fed with Standard layer diet. T2 - Birds fed with Low available phosphorus Layer ration (0.3 percent) T3 - T2 + 200 units of Phytase T4 - T2 + 300 units of Phytase T5 - T2 + 400 units of Phytase Feed and water were provided ad libitum. Egg weight , egg shell thickness, egg shell weight and egg specific gravity were recorded at the end of each 28-days period with 4 eggs randomly selected from each replicate for three consecutive days. Egg shell thickness was measured using shell thickness measure gauge and egg specific gravity was obtained by Brain floatation technique developed by Tyler and Geake (1961).
Table 1.Percent chemical composition of experimental diets (on dry matter basis) Nutrients
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Mean egg weight, egg shell thickness, egg shell weight and egg specific gravity as influenced by phytase supplementation is given in Table.2 and Fig 1 . Perusal of mean egg weight data indicated that birds fed a low available phosphorus layer ration (Table 1) without enzyme (T2) laid eggs with significantly (p<o.o1) lower weight than other groups, whereas the groups fed with Standard layer ration (T1) and all the enzyme supplemented groups (T3,T4 and T5) were statistically
Standard Low available Layer ration phosphorus layer ration
Crude Protein
18.3
18.200
Ether extract
4.13
4.180
Crude fibre
6.810
6.970
Total ash
16.430
16.630
Acid insoluble ash
3.810
3.740
Calcium
03.120
03.030
Total Phosphorus
0.921
0.782
0.500
0.320
Available Phosphorus
*
*Calculated value
J. Ind. Vet. Assoc., Kerala. 10 (1)
Table 2. Egg quality parameters as influenced by phytase supplementation.
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Parameters
Treatments T1
T2
T3
T4
T5
Egg weight (g)*
50.17a
49.07b
51.16a
50.26a
50.19a
Egg shell thickness(mm)*
0.334
0.329
0.354
Egg shell weight (g)*
5.85d
5.77d
Egg specific gravity*
1.087c
1.083d
c
d
a
b
b
0.342
0.345
6.34a
6.05c
6.18b
1.094a
1.091b
1.091b
RESEARCH ARTICLE
*Significant (p<0.01).
The mean egg shell thickness as influenced by supplementation of phytase given in Table 2, and in figure 1 ,revealed that it was significantly higher (p<0.01) with birds offered a low available Phosphorus layer ration supplemented with 200 phytase units per kilogram feed. The overall trend showed that all enzyme supplemented group registered higher (p<0.01) egg shell thickness than other treatments. The egg shell thicknesses of low available Phosphorus layer ration fed birds (T2) were significantly lower than all other treatments. Though standard layer ration fed birds recorded significantly higher egg shell thickness than the low available Phosphorus layer ration given birds ,it was lower (p<0.01) than the phytase supplemented groups. Perusal of the mean egg shell weight, indicated that, it was significantly (p<0.01) more with the group offered a low available Phosphorus layer ration added with 200 units of Phytase per Kilogram. It was also observed that all the enzyme supplemented groups had significantly higher egg shell weight than other treatments, but the group fed with 200 units of phytase added feed showed significantly (p<0.01) higher egg shell weight than the other two groups. The beneficial effects of phytase on egg shell quality were well documented by Lettner et al. (1995), Kaminiska et al. ( 1996), Gordon and Roland (1998) and Rao et al. (1999). However, Panda et al. (2010), also opined that addition of phytase to the 1.2g/kg low phosphorus diet improved both shell weight and shell thickness.
Issue 1 April 2012
days).
FIG.1. EGG QUALITY TRAITS AS INFLUENCED BY PHYTASE SUPPLEMENTATION
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Mean values of 5 experimental periods (28
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Gordon, R.W and Roland D.A 1998. Influence of supplemental phytase on Calcium and Phosphorous utilization in laying hens. Poult.Sci. 77: 290-294. Hardon , R. and Weidmer, H. 1998. The effect of phytase addition in a phospherous reduced layer diet. Archiv - fur - Geflugelkunide. 62 (3) : 97-103. Jensen, F. 1996. Biotechnology and poultry nutrition proceedings , XX World's poultry congress. NewDelhi . India . 2-5 September 1996, p . 305.
All the enzyme supplemented groups had significantly (p<0.01) higher specific gravity than the other two groups. Among the enzyme supplemented groups, the group fed with 200 units of phytase showed highest egg specific gravity. Findings of the present study agree with the result opined by Roland and Gordon (1996) and Gordon and Roland (1998). Addition of phytase to the diet could have led to the release of phosphorus and other minerals from phytic acid which in turn causes improvement in shell quality. Based on the findings of this study it can be inferred that by the inclusion of 200 units per kg of phytase in layer diet, the available phosphorus levels in the feed can be reduced to 0.3 percent without affecting the overall performance.
J. Ind. Vet. Assoc., Kerala. 10 (1)
REFERENCES Carlos, A. B and Edwards, H.M 1998. The effects of 1,25 dihydroxy cholecalciferol and phytase on the natural phytate phosphorous utilization by laying hens. Poult. Sci. 77 : 850-858. Gordon R.W and Roland D.A 1997. Performance of Commercial laying hens fed various phosphorous levels with and without supplemental phytase. Poult. Sci . 76 : 11171179.
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Kaminska, B.Z. 1997. Effects of supplemental phytase to laying hen diets of different phosphorous content . J. Anim . Feed Sci. 6 (3) : 369 -378. Kaminska, B.Z ., Skraba, B. and Koreleski, J. 1996. Effect of supplemental phytase to laying hen diets of different phosphorous content, J . Anim. Feed Sci. 6 (30) : 369-378. Kaminska , B.Z., Skraba, B. and Koreleski, J. 1996. Effect of dietary phosphorous level and supplemental phytase on performance of Hisex brown laying hens and egg shell quantity. J Anim. Feed sci . 5(30) : 249-529. Lettner, F., Zollitsch, W. and Preining, F. 1995. Enzyme preparation in complete layer diets. Use of Natuphos and phosphorous reduction. Forderungsdieust. 43 (11) : 350-352. Nelson, T.S., Sheieh, T. R., Wodzinski, R. J and Ware, J. H 1968. The availiabilty of phytate phosphorous in soybean meal before and after treatment with mold phytase. Poult. Sci. 47 (5) : 1842-1848. Rao, S.V.R., Reddy, V.R and Ramasubbrareddy, V.1999. Enhancement ofphytase phosphorus availability in the diets of Commercial broilers and layers. Anim. Feed Sci. Tech.79:211-222. Tyler, C. And Geake,F.H 1961. Studies on egg shell: critical appraisal of various methods of assessing shell thickness. J. Sci. Food Agri. 12:281-280.