Optimizing Low Crude Protein Diets with Coated Cysteamine Hydrochloride and Exogenous Alkaline Protease Supplementation in Broiler Chickens

Decreasing crude protein (CP) in broiler diets can improve sustainability but may compromise growth performance. Feed additives like coated cysteamine hydrochloride (CSH) and exogenous alkaline protease (EAP) can enhance protein utilization and promote gut health. While CSH modulates metabolism, EAP...

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Main Authors: Hafiz Abu Bakar Siddique, Ehsaan Ullah Khan, Muhammad Muneeb, Saima Naveed, Elham Assadi Soumeh, Sohail Ahmad, Rashed A. Alhotan, Abdulrahman S. Alharthi, Ala E. Abudabos
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-06-01
Series:Veterinary Sciences
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2306-7381/12/7/622
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author Hafiz Abu Bakar Siddique
Ehsaan Ullah Khan
Muhammad Muneeb
Saima Naveed
Elham Assadi Soumeh
Sohail Ahmad
Rashed A. Alhotan
Abdulrahman S. Alharthi
Ala E. Abudabos
author_facet Hafiz Abu Bakar Siddique
Ehsaan Ullah Khan
Muhammad Muneeb
Saima Naveed
Elham Assadi Soumeh
Sohail Ahmad
Rashed A. Alhotan
Abdulrahman S. Alharthi
Ala E. Abudabos
author_sort Hafiz Abu Bakar Siddique
collection DOAJ
description Decreasing crude protein (CP) in broiler diets can improve sustainability but may compromise growth performance. Feed additives like coated cysteamine hydrochloride (CSH) and exogenous alkaline protease (EAP) can enhance protein utilization and promote gut health. While CSH modulates metabolism, EAP improves digestibility, but their combined effects in low CP diets remain unclear. This study examines the synergistic impact of CSH and EAP on broiler growth, gut histology, carcass traits, immune response, and nutrient digestibility, aiming to optimize performance while reducing environmental impact. Six-hundred, 1-day-old broiler Ross-308 chicks (male) were allotted to four treatments, each consisting of six replicates of twenty-five birds, in a factorial arrangement using a completely randomized design. The treatments comprised two inclusion levels of coated CSH (0.2 and 0.4 g/kg with or without EAP (0 and 0.2 g/kg) in reduced CP diets. A ten percent reduction in CP from the standard requirements of Ross-308 (20.7% vs. 23% in the starter, 19.35% vs. 21.5% in the grower, and 17.55% vs. 19.5% in the finisher phase) was made in all the dietary treatments. A notable interaction (<i>p</i> ≤ 0.05) between CSH and EAP was detected in body weight gain (BWG), feed conversion ratio (FCR), carcass characteristics, and gut morphology during the whole study duration. Similarly, nutrient digestibility and immune response were also influenced by the combined use of CSH and EAP. The synergistic use of coated CSH at 0.2 g/kg or 0.4 g/kg with EAP in reduced CP broiler diets can enhance performance, intestinal health, carcass characteristics, immune response, and nutrient digestibility. Implications of these findings in commercial feeding practices could substantially improve the efficiency and sustainability of broiler production systems.
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spelling doaj-art-4cd6c4b6d57e454591ed98d68c3165492025-08-20T03:32:28ZengMDPI AGVeterinary Sciences2306-73812025-06-0112762210.3390/vetsci12070622Optimizing Low Crude Protein Diets with Coated Cysteamine Hydrochloride and Exogenous Alkaline Protease Supplementation in Broiler ChickensHafiz Abu Bakar Siddique0Ehsaan Ullah Khan1Muhammad Muneeb2Saima Naveed3Elham Assadi Soumeh4Sohail Ahmad5Rashed A. Alhotan6Abdulrahman S. Alharthi7Ala E. Abudabos8Department of Animal Nutrition, Faculty of Animal Production and Technology, University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Lahore 54000, PakistanDepartment of Animal Nutrition, Faculty of Animal Production and Technology, University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Lahore 54000, PakistanDepartment of Animal Nutrition, Faculty of Animal Production and Technology, University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Lahore 54000, PakistanDepartment of Animal Nutrition, Faculty of Animal Production and Technology, University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Lahore 54000, PakistanSchool of Agriculture and Food Sustainability, The University of Queensland, Gatton, QLD 4343, AustraliaDepartment of Poultry Production, Faculty of Animal Production and Technology, University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Lahore 54000, PakistanDepartment of Animal Production, College of Food and Agriculture Sciences, King Saud University, P.O. Box 2460, Riyadh 11451, Saudi ArabiaDepartment of Animal Production, College of Food and Agriculture Sciences, King Saud University, P.O. Box 2460, Riyadh 11451, Saudi ArabiaDepartment of Agriculture, School of Agriculture and Applied Sciences, Alcorn State University, 1000 ASU Drive, Lorman, MS 39096-7500, USADecreasing crude protein (CP) in broiler diets can improve sustainability but may compromise growth performance. Feed additives like coated cysteamine hydrochloride (CSH) and exogenous alkaline protease (EAP) can enhance protein utilization and promote gut health. While CSH modulates metabolism, EAP improves digestibility, but their combined effects in low CP diets remain unclear. This study examines the synergistic impact of CSH and EAP on broiler growth, gut histology, carcass traits, immune response, and nutrient digestibility, aiming to optimize performance while reducing environmental impact. Six-hundred, 1-day-old broiler Ross-308 chicks (male) were allotted to four treatments, each consisting of six replicates of twenty-five birds, in a factorial arrangement using a completely randomized design. The treatments comprised two inclusion levels of coated CSH (0.2 and 0.4 g/kg with or without EAP (0 and 0.2 g/kg) in reduced CP diets. A ten percent reduction in CP from the standard requirements of Ross-308 (20.7% vs. 23% in the starter, 19.35% vs. 21.5% in the grower, and 17.55% vs. 19.5% in the finisher phase) was made in all the dietary treatments. A notable interaction (<i>p</i> ≤ 0.05) between CSH and EAP was detected in body weight gain (BWG), feed conversion ratio (FCR), carcass characteristics, and gut morphology during the whole study duration. Similarly, nutrient digestibility and immune response were also influenced by the combined use of CSH and EAP. The synergistic use of coated CSH at 0.2 g/kg or 0.4 g/kg with EAP in reduced CP broiler diets can enhance performance, intestinal health, carcass characteristics, immune response, and nutrient digestibility. Implications of these findings in commercial feeding practices could substantially improve the efficiency and sustainability of broiler production systems.https://www.mdpi.com/2306-7381/12/7/622broilersexogenous proteasecrude proteincysteamine hydrochlorideperformance
spellingShingle Hafiz Abu Bakar Siddique
Ehsaan Ullah Khan
Muhammad Muneeb
Saima Naveed
Elham Assadi Soumeh
Sohail Ahmad
Rashed A. Alhotan
Abdulrahman S. Alharthi
Ala E. Abudabos
Optimizing Low Crude Protein Diets with Coated Cysteamine Hydrochloride and Exogenous Alkaline Protease Supplementation in Broiler Chickens
Veterinary Sciences
broilers
exogenous protease
crude protein
cysteamine hydrochloride
performance
title Optimizing Low Crude Protein Diets with Coated Cysteamine Hydrochloride and Exogenous Alkaline Protease Supplementation in Broiler Chickens
title_full Optimizing Low Crude Protein Diets with Coated Cysteamine Hydrochloride and Exogenous Alkaline Protease Supplementation in Broiler Chickens
title_fullStr Optimizing Low Crude Protein Diets with Coated Cysteamine Hydrochloride and Exogenous Alkaline Protease Supplementation in Broiler Chickens
title_full_unstemmed Optimizing Low Crude Protein Diets with Coated Cysteamine Hydrochloride and Exogenous Alkaline Protease Supplementation in Broiler Chickens
title_short Optimizing Low Crude Protein Diets with Coated Cysteamine Hydrochloride and Exogenous Alkaline Protease Supplementation in Broiler Chickens
title_sort optimizing low crude protein diets with coated cysteamine hydrochloride and exogenous alkaline protease supplementation in broiler chickens
topic broilers
exogenous protease
crude protein
cysteamine hydrochloride
performance
url https://www.mdpi.com/2306-7381/12/7/622
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