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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Vet. Sci.
Sec. Animal Nutrition and Metabolism
Volume 11 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fvets.2024.1461924

Effect of dietary supplementation of enzyme-treated Scutellaria baicalensis on the growth performance, apparent ileal digestibility, intestinal morphology, and cecal microbiota in broiler chicks

Provisionally accepted
Jian Ying Zhang Jian Ying Zhang *Jia Gang Du Jia Gang Du RuFei Zhuang RuFei Zhuang Yuanju Zhang Yuanju Zhang Yan Wang Yan Wang Yunguo Liu Yunguo Liu Jing Hu Jing Hu *
  • Linyi University, Linyi, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    The aim of this study was to assess the impact of dietary supplementation with β-glucuronidase-treated Scutellaria baicalensis extract (GTSB) on the growth performance, nutrient digestibility, intestinal morphology, and cecal bacteria of broiler chicks. A total of 432 broiler chicks (41.92 ± 0.19g) were used for this study. The birds were divided into three groups, each consisting of eight replicate cages. The experimental period was 35 days, during which the birds were fed a basal diet supplemented with 0%, 0.05%, or 0.10% GTSB. Following the 35-day feeding trial, it was observed that body weight gain and gain to feed ratio exhibited a linear increase with the dosage of GTSB in the diet. Furthermore, graded levels of GTSB supplementation positively influenced nutrient digestibility, as evidenced by a linear improvement in the digestibility of dry matter and crude protein. Additionally, GTSB supplementation resulted in an increase in cecal lactic acid bacteria and an enhancement of intestinal morphology. Therefore, the dietary supplementation of 0.10% GTSB was found to be an effective strategy for enhancing the growth performance of broilers by regulating intestinal morphology and increasing the population of beneficial bacteria.

    Keywords: Intestinal health, Scutellaria baicalensis, Enzymatic bioconversion, growth performance, Poultry Husbandry

    Received: 09 Jul 2024; Accepted: 12 Aug 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Zhang, Du, Zhuang, Zhang, Wang, Liu and Hu. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Jian Ying Zhang, Linyi University, Linyi, China
    Jing Hu, Linyi University, Linyi, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.