Nutritional Evaluation of Amaranthus cruentus Leaf Meal Based Broiler Diets Supplemented with Cellulase/Glucanase/Xylanase Enzymes

Sundried leaves of Amaranthus cruentus (Amaranthus cruentus leaf meal, ACLM) were milled and analyzed for their proximate composition. Crude protein was 23.0 plus or minus 0.55%; crude fat, 5.4 plus or minus 0.1%; crude fibre, 8.8 plus or minus 0.02%; ash, 19.3 plus or minus 0.01% and gross energy, 3.3 plus or minus 0.01 kcal g super(-1); metabolizable energy, 2.8 plus or minus 0.21 kcal g super(-1) all on dry matter basis. Minerals, amino acids and antinutrients were also determined. Methionine and to a lesser extent, lysine, arginine, leucine and aspartate were high. The ACLM was incorporated into formulated broiler starter diets at varying inclusion levels of 0, 5, 15 and 25%. The diets were duplicated with a set supplemented with Roxazyme G2 in a 2x4 factorial experiment. All the 8 diets including the control diets were formulated isocaloric and isonitrogenous and fed to the experimental chicks (n = 288) from day 3 to day 24. Statistical main effects indicated that broiler chicks in which ACLM was incorporated at 5% inclusion level in their diet with Roxazyme G2 supplementation was found to have the highest weight gain. Feed consumption value is found to be highest in chicks fed diet 8 at 25% inclusion level of ACLM with Roxazyme G2 supplementation. The feed conversion value obtained for birds on diet 4 with Roxazyme G2 supplementation was the best Broiler chicks on diet 4 also had the best value for Protein Efficiency Ratio (PER). There were no significant differences (p>0.05) in all the hematological parameters investigated. The additive inclusion of Roxazyme G2 in broiler diets can further increase the use of ACLM as a protein source effectively at 5%. There were no deleterious effects even up to 25% ACLM inclusion level with enzyme supplementation.