WHEAT: COMPOSITION AND FEEDING VALUE FOR POULTRY - Soybean and Wheat Crops: Growth, Fertilization, and Yield - page 244

Chapter 13
W HEAT : C OMPOSITION AND
F EEDING V ALUE FOR P OULTRY
Velmurugu Ravindran and Ahmed M. Amerah
Institute of Food, Nutrition and Human Health, Massey University, Private Bag 11 222,
Palmerston North 4442, New Zealand
A BSTRACT
The composition and feeding value of wheat is usually more variable than that of
other cereals. Protein levels in wheat, for example, can vary from 10-18%. But wheat
provides 10% less metabolisable energy than corn, mainly due to the presence of soluble
non-starch polysaccharides. These non-starch polysaccharides cause increased digesta
viscosity in the gut, leading to reduced nutrient digestibility and metabolisable energy
values, especially in young birds. Wide variation in the metabolizable energy of wheat is
a major concern to the poultry industry. Currently, exogenous enzymes, containing
xylanase activity, are routinely used to mitigate the adverse effects of non-starch
polysaccharides and to minimize the variation in the performance of poultry fed wheat-
based diets. With the use of enzyme supplementation, wheat can be used without any
limitation in poultry diet. Feeding of whole wheat grains to poultry has also generated
interest in recent years as a mean reducing processing and production costs, and
improving gut health.
I NTRODUCTION
Wheat is a major raw material in poultry feeds in many parts of the world, including
European Union, Canada, Australia, New Zealand. The use of wheat as a poultry feed
ingredient has increased significantly over the years, due to favorable price conditions.
Compared to corn, wheat generally delivers energy into a diet at low cost. In addition, the
availability of low-cost exogenous enzymes, which are effective in improving the apparent
metabolizable energy (AME) content, has improved the feeding value of wheat for poultry