ORIGINAL PAPER
Effect of adding mannan-oligosaccharide to the diet on
the performance, weight of digestive tract segments,
and caecal digesta parameters in young turkeys
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1
Institute of Animal Reproduction and Food Research, Polish Academy of Sciences,
Division of Food Science,
Tuwima 10, 10-747 Olsztyn, Poland
2
Department of Poultry Science, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn,
Oczapowskiego 5, 10-718 Olsztyn, Poland
Publication date: 2003-01-02
J. Anim. Feed Sci. 2003;12(1):133-142
KEYWORDS
ABSTRACT
Turkey chickens were fed for 4 weeks with starter diets containing 0.1, 0.2 and 0.4% mannan-oligosaccharide (groups MOS-0.1, MOS-0.2, and MOS-0.4, respectively) and a control diet without
oligosaccharides. Supplementation of diets with mannan-oligosaccharide had no statistically significant influence on growth or relative weight of the stomach, small intestine or colon. MOS had a different influence on the weight of the caeca and caecal digesta parameters. Gradually increasing mannan supplementation to the diet lowered caecal tissue and digesta weight compared with the control
group. The dry matter of caecal digesta was unaffected by the added mannan, the ammonia and nitrogen contents were reduced, but the pH of the caecal content was significantly greater after mannan supplementation than in the control group. Compared with the control diet, mannan intake caused a slight increase in short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) concentrations in the caeca, especially of propionate, but the caeca SCFA pool (as a consequence of the lower ceacal content) was significantly
decreased in groups MOS-0.2 and MOS-0.4. In turkeys fed mannan-diets a decrease in the bacterial
glycolytic activity in the caecal digesta was observed, especially in α-glucosidase, α-galactosidase
and β-galactosidase activities. A beneficial decrease in β-glucuronidase activity was observed only
with the highest amount of MOS in the diet (0.4%).
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