TITLE:
Dietary Fiber in Poultry Nutrition in the Light of Past, Present, and Future Research Perspective: A Review
AUTHORS:
Najim Sekh, Dibek Karki
KEYWORDS:
Dietary Fiber, Poultry, Digestive System, Unconventional Feed, Enzyme, Therapeutic
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Animal Sciences,
Vol.12 No.4,
September
16,
2022
ABSTRACT: Dietary fibers (DF) largely
represent carbohydrate polymers of plant origin which are able to escape
endogenous enzymatic digestion in the small intestine of non-ruminant hosts
like poultry. Traditionally, DF was considered as nutrient diluent, and as an
anti-nutritional factor. Dietary fibers, however, have been shown to positively
influence digestive system, immune function, microbiota, and also poultry
behavior. After the ban of antibiotics and antibiotic growth promoters in many
countries, nutritional strategies to meet the genetic potential of poultry
breeds have been extensively investigated. Furthermore, increase use of
unconventional or alternative feed resources to reduce the feed cost and human
food competition have made the DF topic more interesting as such products are
generally rich in fiber; therefore can alter the poultry performance. Thus, to
produce poultry sustainably and eco-friendly, DF has to be carefully managed in
poultry which further requires sound knowledge on feed formulation, source of
fiber, type, subtype, form, inclusion rate, and other managerial aspects like
exogenous enzyme supplementation. To sum up, this review paper has critically
analyzed the dietary fiber related issues including positive and negative sides
of DF in modern day’s poultry nutrition. Finally, gaps in previous
researches have been also identified and future direction has been suggested to
better understand the topic considering therapeutic role of DF in poultry
health.