Effects of dietary Aspergillus meal prebiotic on turkey poults production parameters and bone qualities

Authors: REGINATTO, A - Universidade Federal De Santa Maria; MENCONI, A - University Of Arkansas; LONDERO, A - Universidade Federal De Santa Maria; PIRES, ROSA - Universidade Federal De Santa Maria; SHIVARAMAIAH, S - University Of Arkansas; WOLFENDED, A - University Of Arkansas; Huff, William; Huff, Geraldine; Rath, Narayan; Donoghue, Ann - Annie; HARGIS, B - University Of Arkansas; TELLEZ, G - University Of Arkansas

Submitted to: International Journal of Poultry Science
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/8/2011
Publication Date: 7/28/2011
Citation: Reginatto, A.R., Menconi, A., Londero, A., Pires, R.A., Shivaramaiah, S., Wolfended, A.D., Huff, W.E., Huff, G.R., Rath, N.C., Donoghue, A.M., Hargis, B.M., Tellez, G. 2011. Effects of dietary Aspergillus meal prebiotic on turkey poults production parameters and bone qualities. International Journal of Poultry Science. 10(7):496-499.

Interpretive Summary: The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of dietary Aspergillus meal (AM), a prebiotic on performance and bone parameters of neonatal turkey poults. Prebiotics are nondigestible food ingredients that beneficially affect the host and have been shown to stimulate calcium and magnesium absorption in the intestine and increase bone mineral concentrations in humans and rats. However, the effects of prebiotic feed supplements on bone development in poultry are lacking. Two dietary treatments, similar in energy and protein content differing only by the addition of 0.2% AM, were used. Poults were divided into 2 treatment groups with 25 birds per treatment and four replicates each. Group 1 received a control diet and group 2 received dietary AM. At the end of 30 days, poults were weighed, euthanized, and tibias were collected to evaluate bone quality using an Instron shear press machine and bone parameters such as tibia weight, diameter, ash, calcium and phosphorus assays. Samples of distal ileum were collected and the content subjected to protein and energy analysis. Poults fed with dietary AM had a significant improvement in body weight and feed conversion ratios. Distal ileum content showed significantly less concentration of energy and protein when compared with the poults receiving control diet. Tibia weight, diameter, breaking strength, ash, calcium and phosphorus were significantly higher in poults that received dietary AM prebiotic. These results suggest that the increase in performance and bone parameters in neonatal turkey poults fed AM prebiotic.

Technical Abstract: The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of dietary Aspergillus meal (AM), a prebiotic on performance and bone parameters of neonatal turkey poults. Prebiotics are nondigestible food ingredients that beneficially affect the host and have been shown to stimulate calcium and magnesium absorption in the intestine and increase bone mineral concentrations in humans and rats. However, the effects of prebiotic feed supplements on bone development in poultry are lacking. A total of 200 day-of-hatch turkey poults were used for this experiment. Two dietary treatments, similar in energy and protein content differing only by the addition of 0.2% AM, were used. Poults were divided into 2 treatment groups with 25 birds per treatment and four replicates each. Group 1 received a basal non medicated control diet and group 2 received dietary AM. At the end of 30 days, poults were weighed, euthanized, and tibias were collected to evaluate bone quality using an Instron shear press machine and bone parameters such as tibia weight, diameter, ash, calcium and phosphorus assays. Samples of distal ileum were collected and the content subjected to protein and energy analysis. Poults fed with dietary AM had a significant improvement in BW and feed conversion ratios. Distal ileum content showed significantly less concentration of energy and protein when compared with the poults receiving control diet. Tibia weight, diameter, breaking strength, ash, calcium and phosphorus were significantly higher in poults that received dietary AM prebiotic. These results suggest that the increase in performance and bone parameters in neonatal turkey poults fed with 0.2 percent AM, is improved upon feeding Aspergillus niger mycelium prebiotic.