2013 Poultry Science Association, Inc.

Using complete diet and Sibbald methods

to determine the metabolizable energy
of 5 Iranian wheat varieties
A. Hasanzadeh Seyedi,*1 H. Janmohamady,* A. Hosseinkhani,* and M. D. Shakouri
*Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Tabriz, Tabriz,
Iran 51664; and Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agriculture,
University of Mohaghegh Arbabili, Ardebil, Iran 56199

SUMMARY
To determine the ME contents of 5 Iranian wheat varieties (Alvand, Zarrin, Sabalan, Sardari,
and Azar2), 2 experiments were conducted. In experiment 1, the AMEn content of 5 wheat varieties was determined by complete diet method containing 62.06% of a test cereal grain (with or
without an appropriate commercial enzyme). Diets were consumed ad libitum by sixty 21-d-old
Ross 308 male broiler chicks. The AMEn values (kilocalories per kilogram of cereal grain, DM
basis) were determined from gross energy of diet and collected excreta during 56 h at the end
of the experiment. In experiment 2, 36 adult roosters were used to determine the TMEn content of the varieties by the precision feeding method. The AMEn content was not significantly
affected by varieties. The AMEn of wheat varieties without enzyme supplementation varied
from 3,120 to 3,191 kcal/kg. The AMEn was significantly affected by enzyme supplementation.
Enzyme addition produced an average increase of 11.45% AMEn content of wheat varieties.
The TMEn of wheat varieties varied from 3,788 (Sabalan variety) to 3,947 kcal/kg (Zarrin variety), and TMEn content was affected significantly by wheat varieties. Strong correlation was
seen between broiler chick performance and AMEn of wheat varieties that determinate with the
complete diet method in wheat-based diets. It is suggested that the AMEn obtained from the
complete diet method should be applied in young broiler diets formulation.
Key words: nitrogen-corrected apparent metabolizable energy, nitrogen-corrected true metabolizable
energy, wheat, broiler, enzyme
2013 J. Appl. Poult. Res. 22:388395
http://dx.doi.org/10.3382/japr.2011-00516

DESCRIPTION OF PROBLEM
Wheat is widely used as the major component of poultry diets, but the nutritional value is
variable both in terms of its chemical composition and the availability of energy [1]. However,
its use for poultry, mainly chicks, has been tra1

Corresponding author: arashhasanzadeh@ymail.com

ditionally restricted due to its low energy value

and associated problems, such as digesta viscosity [2]. Supplementation of dietary enzymes to
improve the utilization of wheat in poultry diets
is a common method when corn price is high.
Enzymes are added to poultry diets that contain
high levels of nonstarch polysaccharides (NSP;

Downloaded from http://japr.oxfordjournals.org/ at Tabriz University on February 23, 2014

Primary Audience: Nutritionists and Researchers

Seyedi et al.: ENERGY OF IRANIAN WHEAT

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Two experiments were conducted to examine
the ME content of 5 Iranian wheat varieties. In
experiment 1, 5 varieties of wheat and the effect
of enzyme addition on their AMEn values were
evaluated by the complete diet method [7]. In
experiment 2, the TMEn of the 5 wheat varieties was determined directly using adult broiler
roosters according to Sibbald method [11].
Birds and Experimental Design
All bird procedures were conducted according to the 2006 Guidelines on Animal Care of

the Agriculture Organization of East Azerbaijan,

Tabriz, Iran. One-day-old male broiler chickens
(Ross 308) were obtained from a commercial
hatchery [14]. They were placed in a commercial brooder at 32C and given ad libitum access
to a standard chick starter food and water until
they reached the appropriate age for the start of
the experiment. The initial room temperature
was 32C and this was reduced by 1C at 2-d
intervals to 24C. Room humidity was set at
50% for the duration of the experiment and light
was continuous during the whole experimental
period.
Experiment 1: AMEn of Wheat Varieties
With and Without Enzyme Addition
Five Iranian wheat varieties grown in 2009
were used in this experiment. Three varieties
(Alvand, Zarrin, and Sabalan) were spring and
2 varieties (Sardary and Azar2) were winter
wheat. Chemical composition and NSP content of all varieties are shown in Table 1. The
test cereal grains were ground using a hammer
meal equipped with a 4-mm screen to mix with
other feed ingredients (Table 2) to produce 10
kg of a complete ration [7] containing 62% of
the grains. Following mixing, the rations were
divided in 2 equal portions, one of which was
supplemented with 0.02% of a commercial enzyme [15] and other fed without supplementation. The diets were provided as mash form and
fed ad libitum during the whole experimental
period from 21 to 31 d of age. A bioassay using 6 battery cages of 1 male broiler for each of
10 diets (5 wheat verities, each with or without
supplemental enzyme) was accomplished. Trays
placed under each pen in the battery cages were
used for collection of excreta in the experimental period (d 2131). The first 5 d enabled the
chickens to adapt to the cage and feeds. During the following 5 d, all excreta were collected
and dried. Contaminants, such as feathers and
scales, were removed carefully before excreta
were stored in closed containers at 20C, immediately after collection each day, to prevent
microbial breakdown. Excreta samples were
dried in a forced-air draft oven at 70C for 48
h, and then ground for determination of gross
energy by an adiabatic bomb and nitrogen according to AOAC [16, 17]. Correction to zero

Downloaded from http://japr.oxfordjournals.org/ at Tabriz University on February 23, 2014

pentosans in wheat and -glucans in barley).

The enzymes disrupt the water-holding capacity
of the NSP and reduce gut viscosity, enabling
the bird to digest and absorb more nutrients
[36]. Enzyme supplementation increases the
ME values of wheat varieties containing high
levels of NSP and decreases the variation in ME
caused by these antinutritive factors [79]. The
actual ME value can vary according to the cereal
type and variety [1012] and the environment in
which the cereal is grown [2]. A good estimation
of wheat energy value, with and without enzyme
addition, is essential to establish an accurate
quality-to-price ratio for feed formulation. The
fastest and cheapest way to obtain energy value
determinations is the TMEn method [13]. Time
without feed and amount of feed incubated in
the TMEn methodology may change transit time
and, possibly, the viscosity of the gut digesta,
which could alter the effects of enzyme addition [9]. However, extrapolation of this energy
value for chicks feeding is questionable. Therefore, quantifying ME values for wheat-based
diets with enzymes requires the use of a young
broiler bioassay. Many protocols have been used
to measure the AMEn of feedstuffs. The protocol
adopted in this study used a high level of wheat
inclusion within the complete diet and a sufficiently high level of protein supplementation to
minimize problems due to variability of amino
acid content of the wheat samples [7]. The objectives of this work were (1) to determine the
energy value (AMEn and TMEn) of 5 varieties
Iranian wheat and (2) to study the effect of dietary enzyme addition on AMEn of these wheat
varieties.

389

JAPR: Research Report

390
Table 1. Chemical composition of 5 varieties of Iranian wheat grain
Wheat variety2
Alvand

Zarrin

Sabalan

Sardary

Azar2

Mean3

DM
CP
Gross energy, kcal/kg
EE
Ash
NDF
ADF
NFC
Hemicelluloses
Total NSP
Insoluble NSP
Soluble NSP

89.49
13.37
4,142
2.38
1.90
19.77
4.67
61.48
15.11
10.25
7.10
3.15

90.97
16.87
4,240
2.72
1.85
16.61
3.45
61.47
13.16
9.48
6.94
2.54

89.33
14.28
4,073
2.56
1.91
20.11
4.82
61.11
15.28
9.44
7.48
1.95

90.76
13.54
4,232
2.31
1.87
18.59
4.02
63.43
14.57
10.71
8.03
2.68

89.86
14.11
4,228
2.64
1.88
17.48
3.77
65.68
13.7
11.96
9.40
2.55

90.08
14.43
4,183
2.52
1.88
18.51
4.15
62.63
14.36
10.37
7.87
2.49

NFC = nonfiber carbohydrates; NSP = nonstarch polysaccharides.

The varieties were obtained from Agriculture Jahad Organization, East Azerbijan Province, Tabriz, Iran.
3
Five replications were used for each mean.
2

nitrogen retention was made using 8.22 kcal/g

of retained nitrogen (Hill and Anderson, 1958).
The diet AMEn based on excreta collected at 5 d
(DM basis) was calculated as
AMEn (kcal/kg) = (feed intake {g}
gross energy of diet {kcal/g}
{excreta content [g] gross energy

of the 5 wheat varieties used in experiment 1.

The birds were housed in individual metabolism
cages that were 0.40-m wide, 0.40-m long, and
0.50-m high. Following a period of 24 h without
feed, 25 g of the different ground wheat samples
were fed by intubation to 36 adult Ross 308
male roosters (56 per wheat variety). Another
6 roosters were fasted to estimate endogenous
losses. Total excreta voided over the following

of excreta [kcal/g] + [feed intake (g)

N of diet (g/g) excreta content (g)
N of excreta (g/g)] 8.22})/feed intake (g).
The NRC [18] values for basal components of
the diet were calculated and used to correct the
AMEn of the diet to reflect the AMEn of the dietary cereal grain component alone:
AMEn of the cereal grain (kcal/kg) =
(AMEn of total diet 969.3) 100/62.
In experiment 1, chicks were weighed separately after each experimental period and feed
intake was also determined.
Experiment 2: TMEn of Wheat Varieties
The precision-fed cockerel assay of Sibbald
et al. [13] was used for determining the TMEn

Table 2. Composition of experimental diets in

experiment 1
Item
Ingredients, %
Wheat
Soybean meal
Soybean oil
dl-Met
l-Lys
Oyster shell
Dicalcium phosphate1
Vitamin-mineral premix2
NaCl
Calculated analysis
AME, kcal/kg
CP, %
1

Measurement
62.06
31.45
3.00
0.15
0.13
1.01
1.45
0.50
0.25
2,908
20

Contained 21% Ca and 18% P.

Vitamin-mineral premix provided per kilogram of diet:
8,250 IU of vitamin A; 1,000 IU of vitamin D3; 11 IU of
vitamin E; 0.012 mg of vitamin B12; 1.1 mg of vitamin K;
53 mg of niacin; 1,020 mg of choline; 0.75 mg of folic acid;
0.25 mg of biotin; 5.5 mg of riboflavin; 55 mg of Mn; 50 mg
of Zn; 80 mg of Fe; 5 mg of Cu; 0.1 mg of Se; 0.36 mg of
I; 1.6 g of Na.
2

Downloaded from http://japr.oxfordjournals.org/ at Tabriz University on February 23, 2014

Item,1 %
(unless otherwise noted)

Seyedi et al.: ENERGY OF IRANIAN WHEAT

48-h period were dried and ground for subsequent analyses, as described for experiment 1.
Roosters were randomly assigned to the treatments. In experiment 2, the effect of enzyme addition was not evaluated in adult roosters.
Chemical Analysis

Statistical Analysis
Data of wheat varieties AMEn was analyzed
with a nonparametric Kruskal-Wallis test because the data residuals were not normal; data
of wheat varieties TMEn was analyzed with the
completely randomized design of SAS (0.9)
[21]. All data of growth performance were subjected to ANOVA using the GLM procedure of
SAS (0.9). Duncans multiple range tests was
used to identify significant differences between
mean values of the treatment main effects. Correlation coefficients were obtained for NSP,
AMEn, TMEn, and weight gain with SAS (0.9)
software.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

AMEn and Effect of Enzyme
Addition on AMEn
Table 3 shows the effect of variety and enzyme addition on wheat AMEn (kcal/kg). The
varieties had a no significant effect on the wheat
AMEn values. The AMEn values of wheat varieties ranged from 3,120 to 3,153 kcal/kg of
DM for the Sabalan and Azar2 varieties, respectively (without enzyme supplementation).
These AMEn values were in the range of data
obtained by chicks and reported in the literature
(from 3,2903,390 kcal/kg) [8, 22], but were
higher than that predicated by equation available
in the literature (2,900 kcal/kg) [18]. The rea-

son for the differences between the actual and

predicated values could be the age of the animals, because predication values are determined
from data obtained from adult leghorn cockerels [18]. The range of wheat AMEn content reported in Australia is from 2,509 to 3,704 kcal/
kg [23] and in Canada is from 2,844 to 3,441
kcal/kg [24], whereas in Europe some authors
found no differences in the AMEn of different
wheat varieties [22, 25]. According to Classen et
al. [24], the soluble NSP fraction has a negative
relationship with the AMEn of different wheat
varieties and mostly affects digesta viscosity.
In the current study, no significant differences
in AMEn content between wheat varieties were
found; the results were similar to those of Steenfeldt [22] and Pirgozliev [25].The present AMEn
bioassay incorporates several features deemed
to be important in increasing the accuracy of
measurements of an ingredients feeding value.
In this experiment, young broiler chicks were
selected because they more accurately represent
the majority of birds fed commercial broiler
rations and given ad libitum access to feed [7,
8]. The AMEn value of cereals can also be determined by their chemical composition of the
grains, especially wheat, which has been included in broiler diets at high concentrations. Scott
and Boldaji [8] suggested that the antinutritive
factor in wheat grain is a highly viscous and
NSP fraction [9]. In the current study, the total
NSP of wheat varieties used in the diets averaged 10.37% DM. The content of soluble NSP
in the varieties was found to be in the 1.95 to
3.15% DM; this is in accordance with Gutierrez
et al. [26] and Pirgozliev et al. [25], who found
the average soluble NSP content of wheat was
2.5% DM. When diets were not supplemented
with enzyme, AMEn of wheat varieties mainly
related to the total NSP content [25]. However,
wheat AMEn mainly related to the soluble NSP
content in enzyme-supplemented diets. Some
of the wheat varieties used in the current study
apparently have a content of soluble NSP that
could be problematic when included in broiler
diets. Enzyme supplementation of the diets significantly improved the level of AMEn for wheat
varieties (P < 0.001; Table 3). No significant interactions were observed between cereal grain
and enzyme supplementation on AMEn values.
However, enzyme addition increased the wheat

Downloaded from http://japr.oxfordjournals.org/ at Tabriz University on February 23, 2014

Diets and excreta samples were freeze-dried

before analysis and the CP, EE, DM, and ash
content of feed and excreta were determined according to AOAC methods [16]. Energy was determined by a Parr adiabatic calorimetric bomb
[17]. The content of NSP of wheat varieties was
measured using the method described by Englyst and Cumming [19]. Neutral detergent fiber
and ADF contents of samples were determined
using the Fibertec-Foss 1010 autoanalyser [20].

391

JAPR: Research Report

392

Table 3. Effect of wheat variety and enzyme addition on wheat AMEn (kcal/kg) in experiment 1
Wheat AMEn, kcal/kg
Item

No enzyme

Enzyme

Enzyme
improvement, kcal/kg

3,135 38.71
3,191 40.07
3,120 84.92
3,149 42.83
3,153 73.99

3,445 51.29
3,590 97.72
3,505 86.83
3,486 89.26
3,561 88.88

306
399
380
330
407

Probability

0.75
0.0001
0.081

The varieties were obtained from Agriculture Jahad Organization, East Azerbijan Province, Tabriz, Iran.

AMEn (11.45% on average). Enzyme addition

reduces the intestinal viscosity in birds by degrading soluble NSP [27]; Carre et al. [28] reported that the AMEn losses of wheat varieties in
the young broilers diets were the result of several variables, including physico-chemical characteristics of soluble NSP, endogenous xylanases,
activity of amylase inhibitors, and technological
treatments (grinding and pelleting). In the current study, the Azar2 varieties had the highest
concentration of total NSP and average level of
soluble NSP (Table 1). When this variety was
supplemented with enzyme, the increase in
AMEn value was higher than other varieties. Exogenous enzyme reduces the intestinal viscosity

in broilers by degrading soluble NSP arabinoxylans [9, 29], this exogenous enzyme increases
the lipid and nitrogen-free extract digestibility
and does not release and absorb monosaccharide [9, 29]. Such discrepancies might have resulted from differences in the varieties of grain
samples used in the energy bioassay. Results
of the statistical analysis for weight gain, feed
consumption, and FCR (feed/gain) are presented Table 4. The weight gain and FCR of broiler
chicks in all treatments were significantly influenced by wheat varieties and enzyme addition
(P < 0.01). Wheat varieties and enzyme addition
did not significantly affect feed consumption of
broiler chicks. The amount of feed consumption

Table 4. Broiler chicks performance with or without enzyme addition

Item

Enzyme

Weight
gain, g

Feed
intake, g

465.6
382.1
568
468.6
530.3
422.6
508.6
368.3
534
471.5

1,152.6
1,168
1,138
1,142.1
1,194
1,120.6
1,156.8
1,146.1
1,135.3
1,149.3

Feed/gain

Wheat varieties
Alvand
Alvand
Zarrin
Zarrin
Sabalan
Sabalan
Sardary
Sardary
Azar2
Azar2
Source of variation
Varieties
Enzyme
Varieties enzyme
SEM
1

+
+
+
+
+
-

<0.01
<0.01
0.004
0.026

0.82
0.46
0.20
0.019

The varieties were obtained from Agriculture Jahad Organization, East Azerbijan Province, Tabriz, Iran.

2.48
3.05
2.16
2.7
2.25
2.37
2.27
3.10
1.99
2.45
<0.01
<0.01
0.01
0.19

Downloaded from http://japr.oxfordjournals.org/ at Tabriz University on February 23, 2014

Wheat varieties
Alvand
Zarrin
Sabalan
Sardary
Azar2
Source of variation
Wheat
Enzyme
Wheat enzyme

Seyedi et al.: ENERGY OF IRANIAN WHEAT

Table 5. Effect of wheat variety on the means of TME
and TMEn in experiment 2
Variety,1
kcal/kg
Alvand
Zarrin
Sabalan
Sardary
Azar2
SEM

TME
b

3,873
3,947a
3,788c
3,941a
3,937a
27.21

TMEn
3,643b
3,741a
3,562c
3,666b
3,715a
26.07

ac

in enzyme-supplemented and unsupplemented

diets did not have similar patterns in all wheat
varieties, and these variations may be due to the
differences among wheat varieties. The highest
weight gain was in chickens given diets containing Azar2 and Zarrin (471.5 and 468.6 g, respectively). The highest FCR was obtained with diets
containing Sardary and Alvand (3.10 and 3.05,
respectively) compared with the groups fed diets with Zarrin, Azar2, and Sabalan (2.7, 2.45,
and 2.7, respectively). Weight gain and FCR of
broiler chicks were affected significantly (P <
0.01) by an interaction between wheat varieties
and enzyme addition. The differences in broiler
growth performance were predictable because
the CP and NSP content of wheat varieties varied in large scale [7, 22].
TME Content
Table 5 shows the TME and TMEn (kcal/kg)
of wheat varieties; these values were significantly affected by variety (P < 0.01). The highest
and the lowest TME content of wheat varieties
were observed in the Zarrin and Sabalan vari-

eties (3,947 and 3,788 kcal/kg, respectively).

A possible reason for the low TME content of
Sabalan could be its high level of CF (NDF
and ADF). The TMEn content of wheat varieties ranged from 3,562 to 3,741 kcal/kg (DM
basis) for Alvand and Zarrin varieties. This result is in accordance with the result obtained by
Sibbald [13] but is not in agreement with Saki
[30], who reported lower amounts of TMEn for
Iranian wheat varieties (2,3462,940 kcal/kg).
MacNab [31] found a range of 3,704 to 4,015
kcal/kg of DM by determining the TME of 72
UK wheat samples; this finding is similar to
the data obtained in the current experiment. A
similar range of TME has been reported by Harris [31, 32]. The variations in TME and TMEn
content among different wheat varieties may be
due to the starch, fat, NSP, and ash contents. The
energy content of feedstuffs has a positive correlation with the starch and fat content and negative correlation with the soluble NSP and crude
ash content [6, 7].
Relationship Between NSP, AMEn, TMEn,
and Weight Gain of the Wheat Varieties
In Table 6 the correlation coefficients between various NSP, AMEn, TMEn, and weight
gain of broiler chicks are presented. There was
a significant (P < 0.05) positive correlation
only between total NSP with insoluble NSP
and AMEn with weight gain. The relation between NSP and broiler performance was not
clear; therefore, the NSP had a negative effect
on broiler chicks weight gain in this experiment
for the 21 to 31 d of age. Poor correlations were
obtained between soluble NSP with AMEn and
TMEn. The soluble NSP had a negative correlation with AMEn and positive correlation with
TMEn. This result can be partially explained by

Table 6. Correlation coefficients between nonstarch polysaccharides (NSP), AMEn, TMEn, and weight gain
Item

Total
NSP

Soluble
NSP

Insoluble
NSP

AMEn

TMEn

Weight
gain

Total NSP
Soluble NSP
Insoluble NSP
AMEn
TMEn
Weight gain

1
0.30
0.91*
0.036
0.38
0.009

1
0.103
0.23
0.40
0.54

1
0.137
0.22
0.22

1
0.77
0.90*

1
0.42

*P < 0.05.

Downloaded from http://japr.oxfordjournals.org/ at Tabriz University on February 23, 2014

Means within a column without a common superscript are

significantly different (P < 0.01).
1
The varieties were obtained from Agriculture Jahad Organization, East Azerbijan Province, Tabriz, Iran.

393

JAPR: Research Report

394
bird age and gastrointestinal secretary developments of broiler chicks. Significant positive
correlations (P < 0.05) were observed between
AMEn and weight gain of broiler chicks, but
the TMEn content of wheat varieties had no significant correlation with weight gain of broiler
chicks. Therefore, the AMEn data in the current
study, which was obtained from complete diet
methods, can be used effectively in diet formulation for young birds.

CONCLUSIONS AND APPLICATIONS

1. The experimental wheat varieties had
no significant effect on the wheat AMEn
values.
2. Enzyme supplementation of the diets significantly improved the level of
AMEn for wheat varieties.
3. Metabolizable energy content estimation can be determined with the Sibbald
method on roosters, regression equations, chemical composition analysis,
or sugar content of feedstuffs, but the
scientific value of this result is little
because variability is very high. Therefore, precise estimations of cereal grain
ME for young broilers should be done
with precision methods on young broiler
chicks by complete diet methods.

REFERENCES AND NOTES

1. Rogel, A. M., E. F. Annision, W. L. Bryden, and D.
Balnave. 1987. The digestion of wheat starch in broiler
chickens. Aust. J. Agric. Res. 38:639649.
2. Gohl, B., S. Alden, K. Elwinger, and S. Thomke.
1978. Influence of beta-glucanase on feeding value of barley
for poultry and moisture content of excreta. Br. Poult. Sci.
19:4147.
3. Graham, H., and P. Aman. 1991. Nutrition aspects of
dietary fibres. Anim. Feed Sci. Technol. 32:143158.
4. Muramattsu, T., H. Kodama, T. M. Morishita, M. Furuse, and J. Okumura. 1991. Effect of intestinal micro flora
on digestible energy and fibre digestion in chickens feed a
high fibre diet. Am. J. Vet. Res. 52:11781181.
5. Schutte, J. B., J. De Jong, E. J. van Weerden, and M.
J. van Baaik. 1992. Nutrition value of d-xylose and l-arabinose for broiler chicks. Br. Poult. Sci. 33:89100.
6. Sheele, C. W., C. Kwakernaak, and J. D. Van der Klis.
1994. Factors affecting the feeding value of wheat in poultry
diets. Finnfeeds Int. Seminar. Utrecht, the Netherlands.
7. Scott, T. A., F. G. Silversides, H. L. Classen, M. L.
Swift, M. R. Bedford, and J. W. Hall. 1998. A broiler chick
bioassay for measuring the feeding value of wheat and barley in complete diets. Poult. Sci. 77:449455.

Downloaded from http://japr.oxfordjournals.org/ at Tabriz University on February 23, 2014

8. Scott, T. A., and F. Boldaji. 1997. Comparison of inert

markers for determining apparent metabolizable energy of
or barley based broiler diets with or without enzymes. Poult.
Sci. 76:594598.
9. Choct, M., R. J. Hughes, R. P. Trimble, and G. Annison. 1994. The use enzyme in low ME wheat broiler diets:
Effects on bird performance and gut viscosity. Proc. Aust.
Poult. Sci. Symp., Sydney, Australia. 6:8387.
10. March, B. E., and J. Biely. 1973. Chemical, physical,
and nutritional characteristics of different sample of wheat.
Can. J. Anim. Sci. 53:569577.
11. Sibbald, I. R. 1976. A bioassay for true metabolizable
energy in feedstuffs. Poult. Sci. 55:303308.
12. Classen, H. L., G. L. Campbll, and J. W. D. Groot
Wassink. 1988. Improved feeding value of Saskatchewan
grown barley for chickens with dietary enzyme supplementation. Can. J. Anim. Sci. 68:12531259.
13. Sibbald, I. R., 1986. The TME system of feeding
evaluation. Research branch contribution 4386. Animal
Research Center, Agriculture Canada, Ottawa, Ontario,
Canada.
14. Behparvar, Tabriz, Iran.
15. Kemin multi enzyme for wheat, Kemzyme, Herentals, Belgium.
16. AOAC. 1990. Official Methods of Analysis, 15th ed.
Assoc. Off. Anal. Chem. Washington, DC.
17. Parr adiabatic bomb calorimeter, Parr Instrument Co.,
Moline, IL.
18. NRC. 1994. Nutrient Requirements of Poultry. 9th
rev. ed. Natl. Acad. Press. Washington, DC.
19. Englyst, H. N., and J. H. Cummings. 1988. Improve
methods for measurements of dietary fibre as non starch
polysaccharide in plant food. J. Assoc. Off. Anal. Chem.
71:808814.
20. Foss 1010 Fibertec system, Foss Tecator, Hoganas,
Sweden.
21. SAS Institute. 2000. SAS Users Guide: Statistics.
SAS Inst. Inc., Cary, NC.
22. Steenfeldt, S. 2001. The dietary effect of different
wheat cultivars for broiler chickens. Br. Poult. Sci. 42:595
609.
23. Mollah, Y., W. L. Bryden, I. Wallis, R. D. Balnave,
and E. F. Annision. 1983. Studies on low metabolisable energy wheats for poultry using conventional and rapid assay
procedures and the effects of processing. Br. Poult. Sci.
24:8189.
24. Classen, H. L., T. A. Scott, G. Irish, G. P. Swift, and
M. R. Bedford. 1995. The relationship of chemical and
physical measurements to the apparent metabolizable energy of wheat when fed to broiler chicks with and without
a wheat enzyme source. Pages 169175 in Proc. 10th Eur.
Symp. Poult. Nutr. Akdeniz University, Antalya, Turkey.
25. Pirgozlive, V. R., C. L. Birch, S. P. Rose, P. S. Kettlewell, and M. R. Bedford. 2003. Chemical composition
and the nutritive quality of different wheat cultivars for
broiler chickens. Br. Poult. Sci. 44:464475.
26. Gutierrez del Alamo, A., M. W. A. Verstegen, L. A.
Den Hartog, P. Perez de Ayala, and M. J. Villamide. 2008.
Effect of wheat cultivar and enzyme addition to broiler
chicken diets on nutrient digestibility, performance, and apparent metabolizable energy content. Poult. Sci. 87:759
767.
27. Choct, M., A. Kocher, D. L. E. Waters, D. Pettersson,
and G. Ross. 2004. A comparison or three xylanases on the

Seyedi et al.: ENERGY OF IRANIAN WHEAT

nutritive value of two wheat for broiler chickens. Br. Poult.
Sci. 92:5361.
28. Carre, B., S. Migonon-Grasteau, A. Peron, H. Juin,
and D. Bastianelli. 2007. Wheat value: Improvements by
feed technology, plant breeding and animal genetic. Worlds
Poult. Sci. J. 63:585596.
29. McCracken, K. J., S. Clegg, M. R. Bedford, and C.
M. Preston. 1999. Effect of diet formulation and enzyme
inclusion on apparent metabolisable energy. Br. Poult. Sci.
40:S37S42.

395

30. Saki, A. A. 2005. Metabolism energy and viscosity in

response to cold and tropical cereals area in leghorn pullets.
Int. J. Poult. Sci. 4:13.
31. Harris, L. E. 1996. Biological Energy Interrelationship and Glossary of Energy Terms. Publication 1411. Natl.
Acad. Sci. NRC, Washington, DC.
32. McNab, J. M. 1991. Factor affecting the nutritive
value of wheat for poultry. HCGA Project report No. 43,
London, UK.

Downloaded from http://japr.oxfordjournals.org/ at Tabriz University on February 23, 2014