Cost Economics of Feeding Rice Gluten Meal and Soybean Meal through Dietary Addition of Enzymes in Broilers

Background: The rice gluten meal a relatively newer feedstuff is by-product of wet-milling of rice obtained after starch extraction and syrup preparation. The rice gluten meal is high crude protein and energy ingredient which is priced lower than soybean meal. Substitution of expensive protein sources with lower cost ingredients would potentially reduce the cost of the feed.
Methods: A biological experiment of 42 days duration was undertaken in day old chicks (n= 384)  divided into 12 dietary treatments as per 3x4 factorial design having 4 replicates per treatment with 8 birds in each. Twelve experimental diets were prepared by incorporating control, two different levels of rice gluten meal RGM consisted of (15 and 17.5%), without and with three different types of enzymes xylanase (X), protease (P) and multienzymes (M).
Result: The rice gluten meal at the inclusion level of 15% reduced feed cost per kg live weight, meat yield and eviscerated yield by 5.44, 5.13 and 4.69%, respectively. Protease enzyme supplementation in 15% rice gluten meal further reduced feed cost per kg live weight by 2.60%. Thus, it may be concluded protease enzyme is most cost effective in rice gluten meal diet.