Ahiflower seed and press cake with or without multi-enzyme supplementation in broiler chicken diets: implications on growth performance, nutrient digestibility, gut morphology, bone characteristics, gizzard weight, and meat fatty acid profiles.

The effects of multi-enzyme supplementation (ES) in diets with 10% ahiflower seed (AS) or presscake (APC) on growth, nutrient digestibility, intestinal morphology, gizzard weight, bone characteristics, and meat fatty acids (FAs) in broiler chickens were evaluated. One-day-old Ross 308 broiler chicks were housed 15/pen and assigned to six diets in a 3 × 2 factorial arrangement, including a corn-soybean control (CON), CON+10%AS, and CON+10%APC, with or without ES, for 35d, in a randomized complete block design with six pens/treatment. Overall, body weight (BW) and BW gain (BWG) were reduced by 10%AS and 10%APC (P = 0.0001), while only 10%AS reduced feed intake. Without ES, 10%APC increased FCR, but with ES, no negative effect of APC was observed. Compared to CON, 10%AS increased the duodenal villus height (VH; P = 0.0064), jejunal VH (P = 0.0488), and jejunal villus height: crypt depth (VH:CD; P = 0.0284), while 10%APC increased VH:CD in the ileum (P = 0.0332). Phosphorus digestibility was reduced by 10%AS (P = 0.0381) and ES (P = 0.0396), whereas calcium digestibility was unaffected by diet, ES, or interaction. Crude protein digestibility showed a diet × ES interaction (P = 0.0211), where lower value was observed for 10%AS than CON, only when enzyme was supplemented. Gizzard weight was increased in birds fed 10%APC compared with CON (P = 0.0020), with no ES effect. The bone breaking strength of the right tibia was higher in 10%AS than in 10%APC (P = 0.0211). Compared to CON, tibia weights were lower in 10%APC (P = 0.0207 and 0.0491, for right and left tibia, respectively), with no ES effect. In the breast meat, 10%AS increased stearidonic acid (SDA; P = 0.0467) and improved omega-6:omega-3 (P < 0.0001). In the thigh meat, 10%AS increased (P < 0.001) the contents of SDA, gamma linolenic acid, and total polyunsaturated FAs, compared to CON. Both 10%AS and 10%APC increased (P < 0.0001) the contents of alpha-linolenic acid, eicosapentaenoic acid, docosahexaenoic acid, and total omega 3 FAs in the thigh meat, while improving the omega-6:omega-3, compared to CON (P < 0.0001). There was a significant interaction (P = 0.0002) between ES and diet in Omega-6:Omega-3, with a better ratio in CON+ES than CON-ES. In conclusion, though 10%AS and 10%APC reduced BW and BWG, they increased the concentrations of polyunsaturated FAs in the thigh meat, with 10% AS also increasing SDA concentration in the breast meat and increasing right tibia breaking strength. While 10%AS improved intestinal morphology in the duodenum and jejunum, 10%APC improved it only in the ileum.