Abstract

LIMA, Heder José D'Avila et al. Dietary phytase levels on performance and egg quality of Japanese quails. R. Bras. Zootec. [online]. 2011, vol.40, n.1, pp. 129-134. ISSN 1806-9290.  http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S1516-35982011000100018.

The experiment was conducted to evaluate the addition of phytase on productive performance and egg quality of Japanese quails fed diets containing different levels of phytase. It was used 320 Japanese quails at 167 days of age, weighing 182.3 ± 3.8 g distributed in a completely randomized design with four experimental diets and eight repetitions of ten birds per experimental unit. Diets were formulated from a basal diet (control) and they were corn and soybean meal based, without supplementation, added with 200, 400 or 600 phytase activity unit (ftu). Supplementation of phytase in the diets improved productive performance and quality of eggs. Efficiency of phosphorus use for egg mass, from 0.13% of availability of this mineral in the ration, improved with supplementation of 463 ftu/kg. Optimum levels of phytase for the other performance traits and egg quality were also reached with 463 ftu/kg.

Keywords : Coturnix coturnix japonica; enzyme; nutritional profile; phosphorus; phytate.