THE EFFECT
OF INGREDIENT TEXTURE, FORM AND FRESHNESS ON
GASTROINTESTINAL HEALTH IN YOUNG BROILERS
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Julia
Dibner, Ph.D.
Novus International, Inc.
St. Louis, Missouri, USA
INTRODUCTION
A healthy gastrointestinal system is critical for the
achievement of optimum genetic potential of young broilers.
Recent literature has included data on patterns of early feed
intake, ontogeny of digestive enzyme secretion, nutrient
transporters and absorptive surface area. Much remains to be
done. For example, the identification and description of
factors that alter the normal development of intestinal tissue
during early life are topics which have not frequently been
reported. The objective of the research from the author's
laboratory was to identify changes in the microscopic
structure of the gastrointestinal system that accompany the
growth and feeding of various dietary ingredients. Various
nutritional regimes differing in texture and freshness were
examined. This report will cover the early development of gut
structure and effect of diet on that development. Results
demonstrate that enormous changes occur normally in the
microscopic structure of this organ system during the first
week after hatching. Results also show freshness and texture
affect gastrointestinal development, and this will be
reflected in subsequent growth and performance.
GASTROINTESTINAL PHYSIOLOGY
The gastrointestinal (GI) system is the primary site of entry
for any orally administered compound, including dietary
ingredients. The functions of this organ system include
digestion, absorption, and protection. The structure of the
gut is well adapted to perform these functions. Several
reviews have considered the relationship between structure and
function in the avian gastrointestinal system (McLelland,
1979; Turk, 1982). The mucosa of the gut is the first tissue
to encounter dietary ingredients and contaminants, and studies
of its macroscopic and microscopic structure have been used to
clarify the initial response of the animal to these materials.
For example, it is well recognized that the presence of
histamine and other biogenic amines in feeds can lead to
macroscopic alterations in the gut, including ulceration and
hemorrhage in the gizzard and intestine (Harry et al.,1975).
Proventricular ulceration is associated with the feeding of
high levels of copper (Poupoulis and Jensen, 1976). It is
abundantly clear that such severe structural changes have
important effects on performance. What is less clear is
whether dietary variables such as texture and freshness cause
microscopic effects and whether these could also influence
performance, but to a lesser degree.
Other dietary constituents which cause changes in performance
associated with changes in the gross structure of the GI
system are antibiotic growth promotants. There are several of
these, and most have been found to reduce the overall weight
of the small intestine. This is due more to changes in the
thickness of the intestinal wall rather than changes in
intestinal length (Coates et al., 1954; Jukes et al., 1956;
Franti et al., 1972; Henry et al., 1987; Izat et al., 1989;
Izat et al., 1990). Microscopic examinations were rarely
reported in these papers, but one publication suggests that
the thinning is due to a significant reduction in the mucosal
connective tissue (Jukes et al., 1956). Such structural
changes have been proposed to effect improved performance
through improved nutrient absorption, although other
mechanisms involving reduced chronic low level infection and
reduced competition for nutrients by endogenous microflora
have also been suggested (Coates et al., 1954; Izat et al.,
1989). Changes in microbial populations certainly have the
potential to affect health in that the competitive exclusion
of pathogens by the normal microflora could be disrupted,
leading to opportunistic infections. An aspect of
gastrointestinal growth, which has not been the subject of
much research, is the effect of texture on growth and
function. Effects of dietary fiber on gut microscopic growth
and health in poultry have not been reported, although effects
on mammals are well known.
The response of the gut itself to dietary ingredients has
important implications for bird performance. Intestinal
epithelial cells have a very high metabolic rate to support
their secretory and absorptive functions and are constantly
being renewed by stem cell proliferation in the crypts of
Lieberkuhn. During the first weeks of life, the enormous
growth of the GI system not only far exceeds that of other
organ systems, it is essential if the bird is to achieve its
genetic potential (Sell et al., 1991). For these reasons,
damage to the gut mucosa can raise significantly the bird's
maintenance requirement, leaving fewer nutrients for growth.
The gut-associated lymphoid tissue (GALT) also demands
nutrient support for metabolism and proliferation, and the
unnecessary stimulation of this tissue by hypersensitivity
reactions to dietary ingredients also diverts nutrients that
could be used for growth. Thus, studies of the microscopic
response of the GI system to dietary ingredients and additives
may help the nutritionist to determine the optimum ingredients
and additives required to achieve maximum nutrient efficiency.
INGREDIENT TEXTURE
The gastrointestinal system of a hatchling must undergo
tremendous change before it is capable of efficiently
digesting many of the ingredients in a typical poultry diet.
The first and most obvious limiting factor is surface area for
absorption. During the first five to seven days post hatch,
the growth of the gastrointestinal system may exceed that of
the rest of the body by as much as five-fold (Nitsan et al.,
1991a; Nitsan et al., 1991b; Sell, 1991). Interestingly, the
microvilli of enterocytes also increase in length during the
first week of life (Chambers and Gray, 1979), suggesting that
the initial growth of the bird may be limited by the surface
area of the gastrointestinal system. An important correlate is
the relationship of gut organ development and the bird's
growth rate. Lilja (Lilja, 1983) reported that avian species
with high growth rate capacities were also characterized by a
rapid early development of the digestive organs and liver. The
converse was true for birds with low growth rate capacity,
such as quail (Lilja, 1983). Similarly, birds selected for a
high eight-week body weight were shown to have a greater
relative weight of gastrointestinal tract at day 10 than did
birds selected for low eight-week body weight (Dunnington and
Siegel, 1995).
Effects of texture on gut structure in avians are well known.
For example, the size of the crop and the gizzard is
influenced both during life and evolutionarily by the texture
and components of the bird's diet (McLelland, 1979). Little is
known, however, about how these changes occur or whether the
effect of low residue diets given during early gut development
will persist into later stages and, if so, whether performance
will be affected. Reduction in GI mass is seen when rats are
fed an elemental diet (Evers et al., 1989). Such diets are
very low in residue and similar changes in gut structure may
occur in birds fed a low residue diet.
Experimental work
The focus of the work reported here is the neonatal period
during which relative gut growth is greatest. Birds were
hatched, brooded and housed in a battery cage system as
previously described (Dibner et al., 1995). To evaluate
effects of feeding various textures, isonitrogenous diets were
formulated which contained natural ingredients in either
normal or low residue form. The normal texture diet included
ground corn and soybean meal (SBM), while isolated soy protein
(ISP) and corn starch were used in the low texture treatment.
These treatments were applied for the first three days only,
after which the birds were fed a corn soy starter diet
formulated to meet or exceed National Research Council
recommendations. The short (days one to three) and long term
(days six to 21) effects of these treatments were compared.
Morphometry data were generated as previously described (Dibner
et al., 1995) using four to five birds per treatment per day.
Figures 1 and 2 shows the effect of fasting or feeding normal
or low residue diets during days zero, one, and two of the
study. Starting on day three, all birds were fed a common corn
soy starter feed ad libitum. Figure 1 shows effects on the
weight of the small intestine during the treatment period and
when measured four days after the feeding of a standard corn
soy starter. Absolute rather than relative weights are
presented because body weight loss in the fasted controls
confounded the weight/100g body weight measure. Clearly, the
small intestine was affected more by fasting than by either of
the two residue treatments, with differences persisting at
three days on the standard corn soy diet. Intestine weights
from birds of either residue treatment were about the same
after four days on the corn soy diet (day seven).
In Figure 2, effects on pancreas weight are presented. The
results suggest that fasting is associated with minimal
increases in relative pancreas weight, and that the birds fed
the low residue diets had lower pancreas growth after two days
on treatment and persisting through the first four days of
being fed ad libitum a standard corn soy diet. The effects on
pancreas growth may be the result of differences in the
requirement for digestive enzymes to make the diets available
to the bird. It might be expected that ISP and corn starch
require less enzyme catalyzed breakdown than SBM and ground
corn. Notice also that the pancreas does not achieve normal
size as quickly as does the small intestine following
replacement of the treatments with standard corn soy starter.
This may result in lower ingredient digestibility, and in this
way, affect growth during the first week of life.
INGREDIENT FRESHNESS
Several reports indicate that animals fed oxidized fats can
exhibit poor performance, including decreases in gain and feed
efficiency in rats (Raced et al., 1963) and broilers (Cabel et
al., 1988; Balnave, 1970). It has been demonstrated on
numerous occasions that animals require certain
polyunsaturated fatty acids and that deficiencies can be
associated with weight loss, fatty liver, kidney malfunction
and poor reproduction (Balnave, 1971; Nakamura et al., 1973;
Holman, 1986; Ashida et al., 1988). It has also been
demonstrated that, once oxidized, dietary fatty acids still
can be incorporated into cell membranes (Bunyan et al., 1968).
A study was conducted in the author's laboratory to study the
effect of feed freshness on the gastrointestinal system (Dibner
et al., 1995). Birds were fed diets containing control or
oxidized fat with or without added ethoxyquin at the time of
feed mixing. In addition to performance differences, a variety
of effects of oxidized fat on the gastrointestinal system were
examined, including changes in nutrient uptake, intestinal
microflora, and the gut associated lymphoid tissue. Tissues
from birds in this study were also evaluated for microscopic
structural changes.
Birds were fed a corn soy broiler starter diet formulated to
meet or exceed National Research Council (1984) nutrient
requirements. Fat was provided as a combination of control
poultry fat with an initial peroxide value (IPV) of 1.04
milliequivalent/kg fat (mEq/kg), oxidized poultry fat with an
IPV of 212.5 mEq/kg, or lard with an IPV of 3.2 mEq/kg.
Oxidation of the poultry fat was achieved by bubbling air
through poultry fat heated to 900C.
There were four treatments in the broiler study: For treatment
1, fat was provided as non-oxidized poultry fat and the diet
contained no ethoxyquin. For treatment 2, fat was provided as
non-oxidized poultry fat and the diet contained ethoxyquin (Santoquin,
Monsanto Company, St. Louis, MO) added at 125 ppm (4 oz/ton).
For treatment 3, half of the fat was provided as oxidized
poultry fat and half the fat as lard, and the diet contained
no ethoxyquin. For treatment 4, half the fat was provided as
oxidized poultry fat and half the fat as lard, and the diet
contained ethoxyquin (125 ppm). The peroxide level for
treatments 3 and 4 was 4.2 mEq/kg diet. Birds were randomly
selected for histopathology studies, as well as nutrient
uptake, cell proliferation and intestinal microflora studies
previously described (Dibner et al.,1995; Shermer et al.,
1995; Dibner et al., 1996).
Figure 3 shows effects of the dietary treatments on cross
sectional area of ileum and both cecal tonsils. The most
obvious difference is that the birds fed oxidized fat had
smaller ileal cross sectional area, while simultaneously
having much larger cecal tonsils. This is interesting in light
of the observation, in the same study, that villus epithelium
half life is reduced in animals fed oxidized fat in the
absence of ethoxyquin (Dibner et al., 1996). The observation
that cecal tonsil cross sectional area is increased in the
same treatment is another example of an effect of oxidized
fats on immune tissues, although no obvious effect was seen in
this study on the proliferative activity of lymphocytes in the
gut associated immune tissue. This would suggest increased
recruitment of lymphocytes to the area, perhaps in response to
the reduction in tissue IgA reported earlier (Dibner et al.,
1996).
Figure 4 shows morphometry results of the same study. As this
figure illustrates, crypt villus ratios in the small intestine
of birds fed either oxidized fat diet were greater than those
of birds fed control fat, both with and without ethoxyquin.
Increased crypt villus ratio indicates high proliferative
activity, which would be expected in light of the reduction in
enterocyte half-life reported earlier. Villus length at day
six indicated that the birds fed control fat, with or without
ethoxyquin, and birds fed the oxidized fat with ethoxyquin,
all had significantly longer villi than the birds fed oxidized
fat without ethoxyquin. Interestingly, villus length on day 11
(Figure 4) indicates that although the birds fed oxidized fats
had higher proliferative activity on day six, the resulting
villi on day 11 were still shorter than were those of birds
fed the control fat. Since this was observed in both oxidized
fat treatments, it appears that even the presence of an
antioxidant is not sufficient to completely protect the gut
from the toxins present in oxidized fats.
Among the toxins in a sample of oxidized fat are carbon
centered radicals and the product of secondary autoxidation
such as ketones and aldehydes (Nakamura et al., 1973). Such
compounds are not substrates for ethoxyquin or any other
antioxidant and remain in the diet as toxic byproducts. A
decrease in villus length may increase the proportion of
enterocytes which are not yet fully functional and in this
way, reduce the surface area available for secretion of
digestive enzymes and absorption of nutrients. This may be a
causative factor in the poor performance seen with oxidized
fat. The fact that the longest villi were seen in birds fed
the control fat with the antioxidant in the diet suggests that
even with fresh feed ingredients, effects of oxidation which
occur during feed mixing and storage may reduce availability
of feed nutrients.
SUMMARY
The gastrointestinal system of the young bird grows at three
to five times as fast as the rest of its body. Factors which
influence gut growth include dietary form and ingredient
freshness. Poor growth and health of this essential supply
organ will limit performance and may cause the death of the
animal if not corrected. Some of these factors, particularly
ingredient freshness are determined, in part, by the supplier
of the ingredient. Proper antioxidant stabilization, storage
conditions and microbial control are essential for the
maintenance of ingredient quality.
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