Evaluation of the effect of feeding co-extruded diet components on feed digestibility, intestinal microbiome and metabolism of osteotropic elements in broiler chickens

Bran, as a source of fiber in diets, is no longer perceived as an anti-nutritional component; on the contrary, it is considered as a prebiotic, stimulating the functioning of the intestinal microbiome and a factor reducing the cost of the diet. At the same time, there remains a need to level out some negative aspects in the form of an increase fiber for and a decrease in the absorption of mineral elements from diets, in particular calcium. Extrusion can be a method of reducing antinutritional properties and improving the functional properties of feeds with increased availability of components. The purpose of the study was to study the effect of feeding co-extruded diet components: wheat bran and limestone flour on feed digestibility, morphometric characteristics of the gastrointestinal tract and the state of its microbiome, as well as the metabolism of calcium-codependent minerals in the skeletal structure. The combined extrusion of wheat bran and limestone flour, as a source of calcium, led to improved digestibility of nutrients (crude fat) in poultry. Analysis of mineral metabolism showed an increase in the content of iron, zinc and magnesium in bone tissue, and calcium, zinc, copper and magnesium in the femur of birds of group II in comparison with I. Changes in the microbiome of the cecum, when feeding extrudate with calcium carbonate, were associated with an increase in the proportion of bacteria (Faecalibacterium), which are active producers of a number of short-chain fatty acids (propionate, butyrate). As a result, the prospect of using jointly extruded components: carbohydrate (bran) and mineral (limestone flour) in feeds as part of the functional and economic optimization of diets is shown.