Effect of dietary-aged maize on growth performance, nutrient utilization, and serum metabolites in broilers

Abstract

In China, most maize used for animal diets is stored for long periods. We examined the effects of dietary aged maize on growth performance, nutrients utilization, and serum metabolites in broilers. A total of 270 healthy 1-day-old male Cobb broilers were assigned randomly into three treatments groups and fed maize stored for different times (24 days, M0; 18 months, M18; 36 months, M36). Growth performance was examined at 21 and 42 days of age. Nutrient digestibility was studied on days 18−21 and 38−41. At day 42, blood samples were collected for serum metabolite analysis. Dietary aged maize significantly affected the feed to gain ratio, total starch digestibility, and apparent metabolizable energy (p < 0.05). Compared with the M0 group, 39 and 144 differential metabolites were observed in the M18 and M36 groups, respectively, whereas 56 differential metabolites were identified between the M18 and M36 groups. Pathway analysis indicated that the main altered pathways were clustered into lipid metabolism in M18, and lipid and glucose metabolism in M0 and M36, respectively. In conclusion, negative effects were observed for both new harvested maize and maize stored for 36 months; maize stored for 18 months may improve broiler performance.

Keywords:

• Broilers
• aged maize
• performance
• metabolite

Ethical approval

The present research was conducted at the College of Animal Science and Technology, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, China. All procedures were approved by the Gansu Agricultural University Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (Approval no. GS-Dk-005). The animal procedures strictly abided by the Administrative Measures of Gansu Province on Experiment Animals (2005–2012).

Acknowledgments

This study was completed at Gansu Agricultural University (Lanzhou, Gansu, China). The authors thank Editage (www.editage.cn) for English language editing.

Disclosure statement

The author declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationship that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China under Grants 31702123 and 31660664 and Technology System of Pig and Chicken Industry in Gansu Province under Grant GARS-ZJ-3 and Fuxi Young Talent Cultivation Project of Gansu Agricultural University under Grant GAUFX-02Y07.