Relationship between the stage of digestive tract development in chicks and the effect of viscosity reducing enzymes on fat digestion

Abstract

Different fats are added to low energy cereal diets for broiler chickens so as to satisfy the energy requirements of the chickens. However, the viscous soluble dietary fibre present in some cereals negatively affects fat digestion and absorption by chickens. Lowering the viscosity of digesta by feed enzyme supplementation of cereal diets enhances fat digestion and absorption. The effect of chicken age and the degree of saturation of the added fat on these processes are discussed.