Impact of Wheat Non-Starch Polysaccharides on the Intestinal Wall and Microflora in Broilers

Abstract

Some cereals like barley, oat, and wheat contain significant quantities of non-starch polysaccharides (NSP). The main problems generated by NSPs are related to their viscous nature, to the physiological and morphological effects on the digestive tract and to their interaction with the intestinal flora. The objective of this experiment was to assess the impact exerted by wheat non-starch polysaccharides (NSP) on the intestinal flora and wall in broilers. The experiment was carried out during 6 weeks. We created two experimental groups: the experimental group EG1 fed on forage without wheat in its structure, and the experimental group EG2 fed on combined forage including 40% wheat. At 6 weeks old, after broiler killing, we sampled the intestinal wall and determined lactic bacteria and coliforms. Wheat incorporation in a proportion of 40 % in the combined forage determines the increase of NSP content with 1.84 percentage points; the number of lactic bacteria decreases insignificantly in EG2, fed on forage including wheat. In the experimental variant EG2, the mean height of the jejunal mucosa vilosity was bigger (684.6μ) than in the variant EG1 (403.9 μ), and these were coated with a slightly-hypertrophic epithelium (32.4 μ); on some of the areas, the capillaries were ectasied and we could notice hemorrhagic regions.

Keywords

• broilers intestinal microflora
• intestinal wall
• non starch polysaccharides