DOI: 10.11118/978-80-7509-994-5-0274

DIGESTION AND MICROFLORA IN THE INTESTINAL CHYMUS OF CHICKENS AFTER FEED INTAKE OF ESSENTIAL OILS FROM SAGE AND OREGANO

ANDREJ MARCIN¹, MICHAELA HARČÁROVÁ¹, LUKÁŠ BUJŇÁK¹, ALENA HREŠKO ŠAMUDOVSKÁ¹, PAVEL NAĎ¹, ŠTEFÁNIA MOLNÁROVÁ¹

¹ Department of Animal Nutrition and Husbandry, University of Veterinary Medicine and Pharmacy in Košice, Komenského 73, 041 81 Košice, Slovak Republic

The objective of the study was the observation of the feed intake of essential oils from sage and oregano on enzymatic activities in the chymus of the jejunum and bacterial microflora in the caecum. The broiler chickens ROSS 308 (n=105, age one day) were divided into 3 groups (control, sage, oregano). The diets of experimental groups were supplemented with essential oils isolated from sage (Salvia officinalis L.) 2.306 g/kg and from oregano (Origanum vulgare L.) 1.179 g/kg. The increased enzymatic activities were observed as follows: a) amylolytic (glucose; μmol/l/min) by 0.09 (p<0.01, sage) on days 16 and by 0.05 and 0.04 (p<0.001, sage and oregano) on 29, b)cellulolytic (glucose; μmol/l/min) by 0.02 (p<0.05, sage) on days 16,by 0.06 (p<0.001, sage and oregano) on 29 and by 0.07 and 0.05 (p<0.01, sage and oregano) on 42. The proteolytic activity (azocasein; μg/ml/min) decreased by 0.29 and 0.41 on day 16 (p<0.01, sage; p<0.05, oregano). The bacterial counts (log CFU/g wet digesta) in the chymus of caecum were increased in experimental groups compared to control on day 42: a) Lactobacillus spp. by 0.67 (oregano), b)Enterococcus spp. by 0.18 and 0.28 (sage and oregano). Counts (logCFU/g wet digesta) of Escherichia coli decreased by 0.66 (oregano) onday 29 and by 0.6 or 0.94 on day 42 (sage and oregano). The faecaldigestibility of fibre was increased in all sampling periods on days 16(p<0.01, exp1; p<0.001, exp2), 29 (p<0.01, sage; p<0.001, oregano)and 42 (p<0.01, sage and oregano). On the contrary, the digestibility ofcrude protein (CP) decreased on days 16 (p<0.01, oregano), 29 (p<0.05,exp2) and 42 (p<0.05, exp1 and exp2). The application of essential oilsfrom sage and oregano has significantly positive effects on theenzymatic activities (amylolytic, cellulolytic), counts of Lactobacillusspp. and Enterococcus spp. and the faecal digestibility of fibre of thebroiler chickens.

Klíčová slova: poultry nutrition; plant extracts; zootechnical parameters; digestive enzymatic activities; faecal digestibility

stránky: 274-288, online: 2024