Wheat is rich in non-starch polysaccharides (NSP) and their degradation in poultry diets is promoted by exogenous carbohydrases. The objective here was to evaluate the effect of adding an intrinsically thermostable xylanase on wheat-based diets for laying hens in yolk color, carotenoid and fatty acid profiles of eggs. A total of 128 laying hens were used for 12 weeks. They were randomly allocated to four dietary treatments with different levels of xylanase: T1: control (no xylanase), T2: 30,000 U/g, T3: 45,000 U/g and T4: 90,000 U/g, with 32 birds, 16 replicates per treatment (2 birds/replicate). At the end of the experimental period, egg yolk color index, redness (a*) and yellowness (b*) of egg yolks were found significantly higher in all the enzyme supplemented diet groups (T2, T3, T4) compared with the control (T1). Canthaxanthin levels were significantly higher in T3 than T1 (p < 0.05). Total n-3, n-6 and total polyunsaturated fatty acids (FAs) were significantly higher in T4 compared with the control (p < 0.01), while the reverse trend was evidenced for monounsaturated FAs. Additionally, total n-3 FAs were higher in the T2 than T1 (p < 0.005). Overall, the results showed that exogenous xylanase enzyme supplementation in wheat-based diets for laying hens contribute to maintaining egg yolk color. Overall, exogenous xylanase enzyme supplemented at all levels in wheat-based laying hens’ diets improved egg yolk color compared to the control diet. The enzyme supplemented at the higher level (90,000 U/g) improved polyunsaturated and reduced monounsaturated egg yolk fatty acid content.
Keywords: carotenoids; eggs; fatty acids; laying hens; wheat.