Effects of fermented dried brewer's grain on performance, carcass characteristics, morphology of ileum and blood parameters in broiler chickens

This experiment investigated the effects of fermentation on the chemical composition of dried brewer's grain (DBG) and its inclusion in broiler diets on performance, carcass traits, intestinal histology, and blood proteins. The DBG was fermented for 21 days using Bacillus subtilis and Aspergillus oryzae. A total of 360 male broilers (Ross 308) were fed with 10 % or 20 % DBG or fermented DBG (FDBG) for 42 days. Results revealed that fermentation could reduce crude fiber, pH, nitrogen-free extract, neutral detergent fiber, acid detergent fiber, and total bacterial count whereas it increased Lactobacillus count as well as fat, ash, calcium, and phosphorus contents (P<0.01). Broilers fed 10 % FDBG exhibited a similar performance to the control group. Serum levels of total protein and globulin were significantly higher in broilers that received 10 % FDBG compared to the control (P<0.01). However, feeding broilers with 20 % DBG or 20 % FDBG reduced weight gain and worsened the feed conversion ratio (P < 0.001). Moreover, broilers that received 20 % DBG had a shorter ileal villus height compared to the control group (P=0.034). These findings suggest that microbial fermentation could improve the nutritional quality of DBG, and the fermented product (FDBG) could be included in broiler diets up to 10 % without impacting performance.