Processing diets containing corn distillers’ dried grains with solubles in

growing broiler chickens: effects on performance, pellet quality, ileal amino

acids digestibility, and intestinal microbiota

J. S. Kim,∗,1 A. R. Hosseindoust,∗,1 Y. H. Shim,† S. H. Lee,‡ Y. H. Choi,∗ M. J. Kim,∗ S. M. Oh,∗

H. B. Ham,∗ A. Kumar,∗ and B. J. Chae∗,2
∗
College of Animal Life Sciences, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon, 24341, Republic of Korea;
†
SAJOBIOFEED, 1685-18 Hamyeong-ro, Hampyeong-eup, Hampyeong-gun, Jeollanam-do, Korea 57136; and
‡
Department of Swine and Poultry Science, Korea National College of Agriculture and Fisheries, Jeonju 54874,
Korea

ABSTRACT The present study investigated the ef-
fects of feed form and distillers’ dried grains with
solubles (DDGS) on growth performance, nutrient
digestibility, and intestine microbiota in broilers. A to-
tal of 720 broilers (Ross 308; average BW 541 ± 6 g)
was randomly allotted to 6 treatments on the basis of
BW. There were 6 replicates in each treatment with 20
birds per replicate. Birds were fed 3 different feed forms
(mash, simple pellet, and expanded pellet) and DDGS
(0 or 20% of diet) in a 3 × 2 factorial arrangement.
Simple pellet (SP) and expanded pellet (EP) fed birds
showed an increase in BW gain (P < 0.05). The in-
teraction between feed processing and DDGS level was
observed on pellet hardness (P < 0.01). The lowest (P
< 0.01) pellet durability index (PDI) and hardness were
observed in the diet with DDGS. Values for PDI and
hardness were higher for EP compared with SP (P <
0.01). Simple pellet decreased ileal digestibility of CP
compared to mash feed. The inclusion of DDGS de-
Key words: feed processing, mash, pellet, expansion, amino acids
creased the digestibility of CP, and tended to decrease
digestibility of DM (P = 0.056) and gross energy (P =
0.069). Expanded pellet feeding decreased (P < 0.05)
the ileal digestibility of isoleucine, lysine, methionine,
phenylalanine, threonine, cysteine, and glutamine com-
pared with mash diet. Processed feed increased (P <
0.01) pH in the gizzard and duodenum; however, pro-
cessing decreased pH in ileum. The addition of DDGS
to the diet reduced pH in the duodenum. The popula-
tion of Lactobacillus spp. was lower in the duodenum
of birds fed the EP diet compared to the mash diet.
Processed feed increased the colonization of Clostrid-
ium spp. in the gizzard. These results indicated that
SP and EP in broiler diet had a potential to improve
BW gain, but EP compromised amino acid digestibility.
In addition, DDGS supplementation (20%) decreased
pellet quality and CP digestibility in broiler chickens;
however, the growth performance and feed intake were
not affected.
2018 Poultry Science 97:2411–2418
http://dx.doi.org/10.3382/ps/pey075

INTRODUCTION minerals (Pederson et al., 2014). DDGS is not a new

With the continuation of increased prices for cereal
grains, there is a push for nutritionists to discover inex-
pensive alternatives. The availability of bio-processed
products, combined with their low cost, has made their
application as feed sources for broiler chickens more eco-
nomical. Distillers’ dried grains with solubles (DDGS)
is an excellent alternative due to the presence of high
nutritive components such as protein, fat, fiber, and
C 2018 Poultry Science Association Inc.
Received March 3, 2017.
Accepted March 7, 2018.
1
These two are equal first authors.
2
Corresponding author: bjchae@kangwon.ac.kr
The protocol for the present experiment was approved by the Insti-
tutional Animal Care and Use Committee of Kangwon National Uni-
versity, Chuncheon, Republic of Korea.
feed material and has been used in the feed industry
for decades; however, an increased global production
of ethanol along with the popularity of corn used as a
feedstock for ethanol production is increasing the avail-
ability of distiller by-products. Regarding the proper
nutritive value of DDGS as well as low price in the in-
dustry, it can always be considered as a low-cost feed
resource. The concentration of nutrients in DDGS is
higher than the original resource due to starch removal
(Belyea et al., 2010). However, it is well known in the
industry that the bulkiness and handling characteristics
of DDGS are the major feed processing (FP) barriers
to the use of this product in pelleted feed. Therefore,
the livestock industry must have more detailed infor-
mation on the characteristics of these by-products and
their effects on the animal performance, feed quality,
and FP procedure.

2411
2412
FP is costly but it provides an opportunity to en-
hance the feed quality and improve broiler performance.
Pelletizing is the most common method to improve
starch utilization, reduce feed wastage, and destroy
pathogens and anti-nutritive factors and thus improve
bird performance by agglomerating smaller feed parti-
cles in a mechanical high-temperature process (Abdol-
lahi et al., 2013; Svihus 2014). Diet form influences feed
digestibility and the utilization of nutrients in animals.
Serrano et al. (2012) found that feeding broilers pelleted
and reground corn-based diets resulted in 6% increase
in bird performance compared with broilers fed similar
unprocessed diets. In the pelleting process, the addi-
tion of DDGS to the diet resulted in reducing pellet
quality (Denstadli et al 2010). Loar et al. (2010) sug-
gested that the maximum inclusion of DDGS should
not be more than 15% in the grower diet. The quality
of expanded pellet (EP) is higher than that of sim-
ple pellet (SP) (Lundblad et al., 2011). Therefore, ex-
panding might be a better processing method to use
DDGS in the diet due to the higher gelatinization, bet-
ter pellet quality, and, to some extent, breaking the non-
starch polysaccharides (NSP) bonds (Lundblad et al.,
2011; Zaefarian et al., 2015). The high NSP and low
energy contents of corn DDGS limit its use in the diet
of broilers (Oryschak et al., 2010). The influence of feed
expansion in regard to voluntary feed intake and total
tract apparent digestibility of nutrients in broilers is the
subject of debate. There is a conflicting report stating
that high temperature gelatinizes starch but denatur-
izes amino acids (AA) as well. Starch gelatinization is
widely accepted as a thermo-mechanical interaction to
improve pellet quality by increasing the accessibility of
glucosidic linkage to enzymes (Briggs et al., 1999). Gela-
tinized starch can entangle and fold different particles
as an adhesive or binding agent to form feed (Zaefarian
et al., 2015). The excessive increase in the tempera-
ture of pellets may compromise the availability of nu-
trients, particularly the accessibility of AA (Martinez-
Amezcua et al., 2007). On the other hand, in the
expanding process, the pellet quality might be higher
due to a higher temperature, which negatively stimu-
lates more protein denaturation (Briggs et al., 1999),
causes the degradation of cell wall components, and
holds the strands of fiber, hence contributing to the
adhesion between particles in the pellets. Starch and
protein are not the only feed constituents that can be
affected in a high-temperature pelleting process. As the
temperature increases, the rate of vitamins and other
active micro-ingredients changes in the diet. To max-
imize the profit, it seems a reliable temperature must
be reached in order to keep the benefits of gelatiniza-
tion and minimize the loss of nutrients. The hypothesis
tested in this research was that DDGS in the diet could
negatively affect pellet quality and growth performance.
In addition, it was hypothesized that the application of
high temperature in the expansion process may dimin-
ish the negative effects of dietary DDGS on pellet qual-
ity. This experiment was carried out to obtain further
KIM ET AL.
knowledge on the effects of dietary DDGS in the SP or
EP process on the physical quality of pellets, growth
performance, and microbiota of broiler chickens.
MATERIAL AND METHODS
The protocol for the present experiment was ap-
proved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Com-
mittee of Kangwon National University, Chuncheon,
Republic of Korea.
Birds, Diets, and Management
This experiment was designed to evaluate the in-
teraction between feed types (FT) and DDGS on the
growth performance of broilers. A total of 720 broilers
(Ross 308; average BW 541 ± 6 g and 14 d old) was
randomly assigned based on BW and sex to 6 dietary
treatments. A randomized complete block design with
a 3 × 2 factorial arrangement of treatments was used
to investigate the response of broiler chickens to 2 lev-
els of DDGS (0 and 20% of diet), in mash, SP, and
EP forms. Each treatment had 6 replicate pens with
20 broilers (10 males and 10 females) per pen. Prior to
the experiment, the birds were fed a standard broiler
starter diet with standard management from d 1 to 14.
The diets were formulated to be isonitrogenous (21%
CP) and isocaloric (ME based). The analysis of the av-
erage composition (dry basis) of DDGS in the current
study showed 5,266 kcal gross energy (GE), 29.8% CP,
0.88% lysine, 0.69% methionine, 1.06% threonine, 6.1%
ash, 0.21% calcium, and 0.88% phosphorus.
The mash diet was formulated to contain
3,150 kcal/kg of ME, 21.0% CP, and 1.1% lysine,
supplemented with vitamins, minerals, and AA to
meet or exceed the nutrient requirements (Table 1)
listed in Ross 308 nutrition specification (Aviagen,
2014). For the SP diet, the mash diet was steam condi-
tioned to 75◦ C and pelleted using a 220 hp pellet mill
(Model 12 type, Matador, Denmark) with a 2.8 mm die
in diameter. The EP was produced by subjecting the
mash diet to a 300 hp expander (Model M12, Matador,
Denmark) with 180 amperes, a gap opening of 39%,
and temperature of 105◦ C for 20 s with a 2.8 mm die
in diameter. The duration of the experiment was 21 d,
and the final BW was approximately 2 kg.
The birds were housed in rice hull-covered floor pens.
Each pen was provided with a self-feeder and hanging
bell drinker to allow free access to feed and water. The
room temperature was 23◦ C during the first wk and
subsequently lowered to 20◦ C by 1◦ C and 2◦ C decrease
in the second and third wk, respectively. The lighting
was provided for 23 h/d.
Experimental Procedures
The birds were individually weighed at the start of
the trial and on d 35. Feed that was not consumed was
 FEED PROCESSING IN BROILER CHICKENS DIET 2413
Table 1. Ingredient and chemical composition of basal diet (as-fed basis).

Dietary DDGS content, %

Item 0 20

Ingredients (% as fed)
Corn 54.94 41.23
Wheat 5.00 5.00
Soybean meal (45.0 % CP) 23.37 18.01
Corn gluten 6.14 3.04
Rapeseed meal 2.00 2.00
Animal fat 3.31 5.48
Dicalcium phosphate 1.74 1.43
Limestone 0.87 1.13
Vitamin premix1 0.10 0.10
Mineral premix2 0.10 0.10
Salt 0.20 0.20
L -Lysine HCL (78 %) 0.75 0.92
L -Threonine (98.5 %) 0.06 0.02
DL -Methionine (98 %) 0.32 0.24
Choline chloride (25 %) 0.10 0.10
Distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS) – 20.0
Chromic oxide premix3 1.0 1.0
Analyzed nutrient composition
Gross energy (kcal/kg) 4417 4555
Dry matter (%) 88.9 89.1
Crude protein (%) 20.83 20.74
Calcium (%) 0.871 0.863
Phosphorus (%) 0.699 0.701
Lysine (%) 1.19 1.16
Methionine (%) 0.53 0.51
Cysteine (%) 0.45 0.45
1
Supplied per kg diet: 10,000 IU vitamin A, 4,500 IU vitamin D3 , 65 mg vitamin E, 1.5 mg vitamin B1 ,
12 mg vitamin B2 , 3.2 mg vitamin B6 , 0.011 mg vitamin B12 , 3.0 mg vitamin K3 , 18 mg pantothenic acid,
60 mg niacin, 0.18 mg biotin, 1.9 mg folic acid, 18 mg ethoxyquin.
2
Supplied per kg diet: 20 mg Fe, 16 mg Cu, 110 mg Zn, 120 mg Mn, 1.25 mg I, 0.9 mg Co, 0.3 mg Se.
3
Prepared as 2.5 g of chromic oxide added to 7.5 g of corn gluten.

weighed at the end of the experiment, and feed intake
was calculated for d 15 to 35. Body weight gain, feed
intake, and feed efficiency (G:F) were corrected for the
weight of dead birds. Nutrient balance trials were con-
ducted during the last wk of the feeding trial to deter-
mine retention of DM, CP and GE. From d 28 onwards,
2 birds from each replicate (one male and one female)
were moved into individual cages (one bird/cage) to
facilitate the collection of excreta samples. The diets
containing 2.5 g/kg chromium as an indigestible marker
were given from d 28 onwards. Excreta samples (about
100 g/d per bird) were collected from each bird during d
33 to 35. The excreta samples were dried in a forced-air
drying oven at 60◦ C for 72 h and ground in a Wiley lab-
oratory mill (Thomas Model 4 Wiley R Mill, Thomas
Scientific, Swedesboro, NJ) using a 1-mm screen. The
apparent nutrient retention was calculated as: apparent
nutrient retention (%) = 100 − [100 × (% Cr in feed/%
Cr in excreta) × (% nutrient in excreta/% nutrient in
feed)].
Pellet durability was determined by the method de-
scribed by Svihus et al. (2004) using a Holmen Pel-
let Tester (Holmen Pellet Tester, Tekpro Ltd., Norfolk,
UK). In this method, 100 g of pellets were circulated
through a closed chamber before passing through a 2-
mm sieve. The pellet durability index (PDI) was calcu-
lated as the percentage of pellets remaining after tum-
bling by dividing the weight of the whole pellets at the
beginning. Pellet hardness was measured by a hardness
tester (Handpi-HLD, Taipei, Taiwan) using the method
as described by Svihus et al. (2004).
Chemical Analysis
Experimental diets and excreta samples were an-
alyzed in triplicate for DM (Method 930.15), CP
(Method 990.03), calcium, and phosphorus (Method
985.01) according to AOAC (2007). GE of diets and exc-
reta were measured by a bomb calorimeter (Model 1261,
Parr Instrument Co., Moline, IL). Chromium concen-
tration was determined with an automated spectropho-
tometer (Jasco V-650, Jasco Corp., Tokyo, Japan) ac-
cording to the procedure of Fenton and Fenton (1979).
AA composition of feed samples and ileum contents
were determined by HPLC (Waters 486, Waters Corp.,
Milford, MA) after acid hydrolysis (Knabe et al., 1989).
The methionine and cysteine were determined following
oxidation with performic acid (Moore, 1963).
Microbial and pH Analysis
On the last d of the experiment, 72 birds around the
average weight (2 birds per replicate; one male and one
female) were selected and euthanized by cervical dislo-
cation to evaluate microbial assay and gastrointestinal
2414 KIM ET AL.
Table 2. Effect of processing feed on growth performance and pellet quality of broiler diets with or without
distillers’ dried grains with solubles (DDGS) for 21 d.

DDGS (D) Feed types1 (FT) P-value

2 2
Items 0 20 % SEM M SP EP SEM D FT FT×D
3
Growth performance
Initial weight, g 541 541 1.4 541 542 541 1.70 0.90 0.84 0.74
Final weight, g 2026 1995 14.3 1970b 2030a 2032a 18.3 0.15 0.035 0.61
Weight gain, g 1485 1454 14.1 1429b 1488a 1491a 17.2 0.13 0.028 0.63
Feed intake, g 2124 2095 31.3 2033 2152 2145 38.4 0.52 0.065 0.64
G:F, g/kg 699 691 7.7 703 690 695 9.6 0.49 0.42 0.73
Pellet quality4
PDI %5 93.8 87.4 0.49 – 89.3 91.9 0.49 < 0.01 < 0.01 0.33
Hardness 2.98 2.29 0.12 – 2.35 2.95 0.12 < 0.01 < 0.01 < 0.01
1
Feed types: M = mash, SP = simple pellet, EP = expanded pellet.
2
Standard error of means.
3
Each value represents the mean of 6 replicates (20 birds/replicate).
4
Each value represents the mean of 20 feed samples.
5
PDI: Pellet durability index.
a,b
Values with different superscripts in the row significantly differ (P < 0.05).

(GI) pH trend. The microbiological assay of the giz-
zard, duodenum, jejunum, ileum (from the Meckel’s di-
verticulum to the ileo-cecal junction), and cecum chyme
was carried out by the procedure described by Lee et al.
(2016). In short, 1 g of mixed content was diluted with
9 mL of Butterfields phosphate buffer solution, followed
by further serial dilutions in Butterfields phosphate
buffer dilution solution. Duplicate plates were then in-
oculated with 0.1 mL sample and incubated. The micro-
bial groups enumerated were Lactobacillus spp. (MRS
agar + 0.02% NaN3 + 0.05% l-cystine hydrochloride
monohydrate) and Clostridium spp. (tryptose sulphite
cycloserine agar, Oxoid, Hampshire, UK). The micro-
bial populations were log transformed before statistical
analysis. The pH of the gizzard, duodenum, jejunum,
ileum, and cecum chyme was determined by pH meter
(Basic pH Meter PB-11, Sartorius, Germany).
Statistical Analysis
Data generated in this experiment were analyzed as a
3 × 2 factorial arrangement in a completely randomized
design, which were analyzed using the Proc-GLM pro-
cedure. Pens were considered the experimental unit for
growth performance, and broiler chickens were experi-
mental units for measuring the digestibility of nutrients
(DM, GE, CP, and AA) and all GI samplings (pH and
microbiota). The main effects of FT and DDGS, and
their interaction were determined by the mixed proce-
dure of SAS statistical program (SAS Inst., Inc., Cary,
NC). P-values ≤ 0.05 were considered statistically sig-
nificant.
RESULTS
Growth Performance
Interactions were not observed for FI (Table 2).
DDGS levels in the diet did not affect BW gain, FI,
or G:F of broilers. At 35 d old, the broilers fed the
SP and EP diets exhibited higher final BW compared
with those that received mash diets, which increased by
4.1 and 4.4%, respectively. The reduced final BW of the
broilers was reflected in decreased weight gain, with the
broilers in the SP and EP treatments exhibiting weight
gain values that were 6.5 and 7% higher compared with
those in the mash treatment. FI tended to increase (P
= 0.065) by the SP and EP treatments. However, there
was no significant difference in G:F between the broilers
among the treatments.
Pellet Physical Quality
The relationship between FT and DDGS levels are
shown in Table 2. FP × DDGS interaction was ob-
served on pellet hardness. The lowest (P < 0.01) PDI
and hardness were observed in the diet with DDGS.
Values for PDI and hardness were higher for EP com-
pared with SP (P < 0.01).
Digestibility of Nutrients and Amino Acids
Interactions were not observed in digestibility of nu-
trients and AA between DDGS and FT (Table 3).
DDGS in the diet decreased digestibility of CP and
tended to reduce digestibility of DM (P = 0.06) and GE
(P = 0.07). Digestibility of DM was unaffected among
FT groups. Broiler chickens fed the SP diet had higher
(P < 0.05) digestibility of GE compared with the mash
diet. The SP treatment reduced the digestibility of CP
by 2.9 for SP compared with the mash diet. The di-
gestibility of AA was unaffected by DDGS levels. The
reduced CP digestibility of the broilers in processed
feed was reflected in decreased AA digestibility, with
the broilers in the EP treatments exhibiting decreased
digestibility in isoleucine, lysine, methionine, phenylala-
nine, threonine, cysteine, and glutamine compared with
broiler fed mash diet (Table 3).
 FEED PROCESSING IN BROILER CHICKENS DIET 2415
Table 3. Effect of feed processing on apparent fecal digestibility of nutrients and apparent ileal amino acids
(AA) digestibility in broiler diets with or without distillers’ dried grains with solubles (DDGS) at d 35.1

DDGS (D) Feed types2 (FT) P-value

2 3
Items 0 20 % SEM M SP EP SEM D FT FT×D

Digestibility, %
Dry matter 74.2 73.1 0.40 73.2 73.8 73.9 0.49 0.056 0.53 0.39
Gross energy 76.7 75.8 0.34 75.5b 77.1a 76.0a,b 0.42 0.069 0.034 0.81
Crude protein 68.6a 66.9b 0.45 69.1a 67.1b 67.2a,b 0.55 0.015 0.027 0.81
Indispensable AA
Arginine 65.0 65.2 0.55 66.2 64.8 64.2 0.68 0.77 0.12 0.61
Histidine 61.6 61.4 0.54 61.8 61.7 60.9 0.66 0.85 0.57 0.90
Isoleucine 62.9 61.8 0.55 63.8a 62.8a 60.4b 0.67 0.18 < 0.01 0.56
Leucine 70.7 69.9 0.38 70.7a,b 71.0a 69.2b 0.47 0.17 0.029 0.85
Lysine 69.5 68.4 0.43 70.5a 69.1a,b 67.4b 0.52 0.081 < 0.01 0.72
Methionine 70.7 68.6 1.32 72.6a 71.0a,b 65.4b 1.62 0.26 0.010 0.87
Phenylalanine 64.2 64.0 0.68 65.6a 64.8a,b 61.9b 0.83 0.81 0.011 0.91
Threonine 45.7 44.6 0.63 47.0a 45.3a,b 43.2b 0.77 0.20 < 0.01 0.68
Valine 52.3 51.8 0.55 52.3 52.2 51.6 0.67 0.50 0.73 0.82
Dispensable AA
Alanine 61.3 60.8 0.43 61.4 61.5 60.2 0.53 0.39 0.19 0.45
Asparagine 59.6 59.1 0.40 59.2 59.5 59.3 0.49 0.30 0.92 0.60
Cysteine 57.2 56.7 0.43 58.1a 56.9a,b 55.8b 0.53 0.37 0.020 0.74
Glutamine 67.3 67.2 0.44 68.2a 68.1a 65.5b 0.54 0.87 < 0.01 0.89
Glycine 51.1 50.4 0.44 50.8 51.4 49.9 0.54 0.32 0.20 0.76
Serine 59.6 59.4 0.46 59.5 59.4 59.7 0.57 0.74 0.94 0.43
Tyrosine 56.8 56.8 0.30 56.8 56.9 56.8 0.37 0.94 0.96 0.47
1
Each value represents the mean of 6 replicates (2 birds/replicate).
2
Feed types: M = mash, SP = simple pellet, EP = expanded pellet.
3
Standard error of means.
a,b
Values with different superscripts in the row significantly differ (P < 0.05).

Microbiota and pH the diet with no difference in G:F of broiler chickens.

The results of pH and microbial population in the GI
tract at the end of the experiment are presented in Ta-
ble 4. Birds fed DDGS had significantly lower pH in the
duodenum and tended to have lower pH in the gizzard
(P = 0.07) compared with the birds fed mash diet. No
significant differences were observed for pH of digesta
in the jejunum, ileum, or cecum when chickens were fed
DDGS. Feeding pellets increased (P < 0.01) the pH in
the gizzard and duodenum, and decreased pH in the
ileum (P < 0.01). The population of Lactobacillus spp.
was not affected by DDGS levels. Generally, FT did not
affect the Lactobacillus spp. population in the GI tract
of birds except in the duodenum, where the population
of Lactobacillus spp. was greater (P < 0.05) in chickens
fed a mash diet compared to chickens fed the EP diet.
No effect of DDGS on the colonization of Clostridium
spp. in the intestine was observed. Compared to birds
fed EP and SP diets, the colonization of Clostridium
spp. in the gizzard decreased in birds fed a mash diet
(P < 0.01).
DISSCUSION
The effects of DDGS on the performance and FI of
broiler chickens are inconsistent. The results of the cur-
rent study did not show any significant negative effects
on performance of broiler chickens when DDGS was
added to the diet. These results agree with the find-
ings of Lumpkins et al. (2004), who fed 18% DDGS in
However, some recent published data are similar to the
older data, which indicated that only a small amount of
DDGS can be substituted in the diet without compro-
mising FI and growth performance (Loar et al., 2010;
Oryschak et al., 2010; Alizadeh et al., 2016). An increas-
ing FCR was observed when the amount of DDGS in-
creased from 10 to 40% (Denstadli et al., 2010). Weight
gain and FI of chickens fed DDGS were numerically
lower, but this difference was not significant, indicating
that 20% DDGS is a marginal amount, and the higher
levels may show significant negative effects on perfor-
mance.
In the present study, weight gain significantly im-
proved in diets using processed feed. The positive re-
lationship between growth performance and processed
diet is well recognized in broiler chickens (Abdollahi
et al., 2013). Moreover, a reduction in FI and giz-
zard function in broiler chickens was observed when
fed diets with relatively smaller particle size (Xu
et al., 2015). Studies have shown that pelleted diet
could enhance BW gain and FI of broiler chickens
compared to mash diet (Lemme et al., 2006; Brickett
et al., 2007; Abdollahi et al., 2010). In another study,
Jimenez-Moreno et al. (2016) reported that the pellets
improved growth performance of broilers with an in-
creased feed consumption compared with broilers that
were fed a mash diet. Expansion processing resulted in a
rigid, expanded, and porous structure in starch granules
(Blanche and Sun, 2004). Processing methods involving
heat, moisture, and shear force generally reduced the
2416 KIM ET AL.
Table 4. Effect of feed processing on pH value and bacterial count in different sections of digestive tract from broiler
diets with or without distillers’ dried grains with solubles (DDGS) for 21 d.1

DDGS (D) Feed types2 (FT) P-value

3 2
Items 0 20 % SEM M SP EP SEM D FT FT×D

pH
Gizzard 3.92 3.81 0.042 3.52b 4.07a 4.01a 0.051 0.074 < 0.01 0.90
Duodenum 6.59 6.38 0.034 6.30b 6.53a 6.63a 0.042 < 0.01 < 0.01 0.63
Jejunum 6.43 6.46 0.038 6.54 6.38 6.43 0.047 0.61 0.055 < 0.01
Ileum 7.33 7.33 0.033 7.48a 7.28b 7.25b 0.041 0.94 < 0.01 0.057
Cecum 6.24 6.24 0.046 6.26 6.20 6.27 0.056 0.98 0.63 0.16
Lactobacillus spp. (log10 cfu/g)
Gizzard 7.14 7.08 0.064 7.21 7.08 7.06 0.079 0.51 0.36 0.74
Duodenum 7.27 7.34 0.034 7.4a 7.31a,b 7.22b 0.042 0.15 0.015 0.92
Jejunum 7.57 7.58 0.044 7.62 7.57 7.54 0.054 0.92 0.56 0.84
Ileum 8.08 8.14 0.069 8.2 8.11 8.02 0.085 0.50 0.35 0.98
Cecum 8.47 8.43 0.043 8.53 8.41 8.41 0.053 0.52 0.27 0.99
Clostridium spp. (log10 cfu/g)
Gizzard 4.34 4.26 0.047 4.17b 4.38a 4.35a 0.04 0.086 < 0.01 0.79
Duodenum 4.64 4.59 0.067 4.58 4.63 4.64 0.057 0.48 0.66 0.97
Jejunum 5.55 5.51 0.043 5.58 5.50 5.52 0.083 0.68 0.75 0.53
Ileum 6.32 6.28 0.061 6.20b 6.31a,b 6.39a 0.053 0.56 0.058 0.41
Cecum 6.61 6.60 0.042 6.61 6.62 6.59 0.075 0.97 0.95 0.40
1
Each value represents the mean of 6 replicates (2 birds/replicate).
2
Feed types: M = mash, SP = simple pellet, EP = expanded pellet.
3
Standard error of means.
a,b
Values with different superscripts of the row significantly differ (P < 0.05).

particle size, changed the crystalline structure, and al-
tered the rate and extent of starch digestion (Zaefarian
et al., 2015). However, there was no difference between
SP and EP in the present study. This result is in line
with another study, which was conducted with broiler
chickens and indicated a similar BW and G:F between
pelleted and expanded feed (Boroojeni et al., 2014). The
efficacy of the expansion process is due to the destruc-
tion of anti-nutritional factors, increasing digestibility
of starch, and reducing feed-borne pathogens (Abdol-
lahi et al., 2013). However, not all the research re-
ported a higher performance with a heat-processed diet
(Lundblad et al., 2011). Regarding heat processing, the
beneficial observations are not consistent, because the
benefits of high temperature are related to several vari-
ables, including the processing time, mechanical influ-
ences, food composition, and pellet quality, such as
durability and hardness. A possibility for a higher rate
of growth of chickens fed pelleted diets in the current
study refers to higher digestibility of GE, which might
be related to a higher gelatinization rate. Furthermore,
another possibility contributes to the higher digestibil-
ity of CP and the lower digestibility of GE in chickens
fed a mash diet, where the higher digestibility of protein
and AA perhaps provided higher amounts of AA than
their growth requirement. Therefore, the growth per-
formance of chickens fed a mash diet may be restricted
due to an unbalanced nutritional state.
In the present experiment, significant effects on PDI
and hardness were found, and the quality and hard-
ness of pellets decreased when diets included DDGS.
Physical quality of pellets can be evaluated using pel-
let durability and pellet hardness parameters (Briggs
et al., 1999; Abdollahi et al., 2013). Shim et al, (2011)
reported that pellet durability was negatively related
to the proportion of DDGS in the feeds. They men-
tioned that 2 probable factors contributed to reduced
pellet quality when DDGS was included in the feeds:
higher DDGS levels and higher poultry fat levels. Di-
etary DDGS inclusion resulted in decreased pellet qual-
ity, likely because of the reduction in a starch compo-
nent in comparison to ground corn, which could result
in less starch gelatinization and decreased pellet bind-
ing (Svihus 2014; Zaefarian et al., 2015). The wheat
flour (50 g/kg diet) added to both diets in the current
study also might help to improve pellet quality. The
addition of small particle sizes has been demonstrated
to be effective in increasing durability of pelleted diets
compared to diets with large particle sizes (Briggs et al.,
1999; Svihus, 2014). The PDI increases with increasing
conditioning temperature, and an expanded diet results
in a greater PDI and modified PDI compared to a low-
temperature pelleted diet (Briggs et al., 1999; Lundblad
et al., 2011).
The present study investigated the effect of differ-
ent thermal methods, including simple pelleting and
expanded pelleting and different DDGS inclusion lev-
els and their interactions on digestibility of protein and
both indispensable and dispensable AA in broiler chick-
ens. There was a tendency for lower digestibility of DM,
GE, and CP in diets with DDGS inclusion. These re-
sults were in line with the work of Denstadli et al. (2010)
who reported lower digestibility of starch and energy in
broilers fed 10 or 20% DDGS; however, in contrast to
the result of the current study, they reported no differ-
ence in digestibility of CP for a DDGS-containing diet.
Heat processed diets showed significantly higher di-
gestibility of energy and starch in chickens due to the
 FEED PROCESSING IN BROILER CHICKENS DIET
greater accessibility of digestive enzymes to starch af-
ter heat processing (Oryschak et al., 2010). A higher
digestibility of starch may be a reason for higher di-
gestibility of GE. Lundblad et al, (2011) surveyed the
effects of steam conditioning at low and high tempera-
tures on nursery pigs and broiler chickens and reported
that expansion processing improved G:F in nursery pigs
due to improved digestibility of protein, starch, DM, or-
ganic matter, and energy, which was in contrast to the
result of the current experiment. Their result on broiler
chickens also showed that all hydro-thermal treatments
increased starch digestibility; however, steam condition-
ing before pelleting increased growth rate and feed uti-
lization in broilers. The accessibility of starch to diges-
tive enzymes is greatly attributed to heat and moisture
during FP (Briggs et al., 1999; Zaefarian et al., 2015).
Changing the crystalline structure of starch and there-
fore increasing the enzymatic accessibility to starch
granules accelerating the digestibility of starch (Svi-
hus 2014). Another possible reason for improving the
digestibility of starch is α-amylase inhibitors denatura-
tion in high temperature (Svihus 2014; Zaefarian et al.,
2015). Generally, the ileal apparent digestibility of AA
was negatively affected by the expansion method. Clear
trends were observed regarding ileal digestibility of AA
and were supported by the digestibility of CP. It is
known that there is a positive relationship between
the reaction between AA and other compounds, such
as glucose, when the temperature increases (Boroojeni
et al., 2014). Lysine was the only AA in DDGS that
tended a show a lower digestibility (P = 0.08). From
this data, we can conclude that although DDGS can be
substituted in the diet of chickens, the lower energy and
lower accessibility of lysine content of DDGS has to be
considered (Martinez-Amezcua et al., 2007). Lumpkins
et al. (2004) suggested that because there is a marginal
lysine deficiency in dietary protein with corn origin, the
performance of broilers is decreased in comparison to
soybean protein. Previous reports indicated that the
high temperature of processing decreased the bioavail-
ability of lysine or some other AA in DDGS (Lump-
kins and Batal, 2005; Martinez-Amezcua et al., 2007).
Thus, digestibility of lysine can be a major concern in
the use of DDGS. Expansion is a process that could
enhance the denaturation of protein due to the high
temperature and high pressure, especially lysine that
is in danger of Maillard reaction (Martinez-Amezcua
et al., 2007; Boroojeni et al., 2014).
Results from the current study presented a statis-
tically significant effect of FT on acidity in the GI
tract, which showed higher pH in the proximal (giz-
zard and duodenum) sections and lower pH at the dis-
tal sections (ileum). In line with the present experi-
ment, Huang et al., (2006) also reported that a broiler
fed pellets had higher pH in the gizzard than a broiler
fed a mash diet, but had lower pH in the cecum. It is
known that volatile fatty acids are a product of carbo-
hydrates that have been fermented by microbes, which
tend to lower intestinal lumen pH values (Qaisrani
2417
et al., 2015). The decrease in pH of the gizzard in broiler
chickens fed a mash diet is a direct response to se-
creted hydrochloric acid by the proventriculus (Engberg
et al., 2002). Interestingly, our data indicated lower C.
perfringens presence in the gizzard when birds were fed
a mash diet. The mash diet decreased Clostridium spp.
colonization in the gizzard of broilers by decreasing pH,
which is in agreement with a previous study (Engberg
et al., 2002). Furthermore, pelleted feed has a smaller
size of feed particles, and one of the consequences of
finely ground material is the potential to trigger pro-
liferation of clostridia (Dahiya et al., 2006). It is well
known that lower pH can pierce across the bacterial
cell membrane and increase the antibacterial activity
of short chain fatty acids (Dahiya et al., 2006). The
pelleting of feed in a diet also has reduced the pH
of ileum contents due to improved ileal fermentation,
which may be explained by the smaller size of feed par-
ticles in pellets (Engberg et al., 2002). However, the
result was the opposite in the ileum, where the lower
ileal pH for EP showed higher C. perfringens. There
are 2 possible reasons to support these data. The first
reason might be that Clostridium spp. is more sensi-
tive in low pH, and a change in the range of pH in an
acidic environment (pH = 3.52 to 4.07 in the gizzard
compared to pH = 7.25 to 7.48 in the ileum) could
have more severe effects on their population. The sec-
ond reason can be correlated to the quality of protein.
Dahiya et al (2006) reported C. perfringens coloniza-
tion in broilers’ intestine microflora is related to protein
source and level. The high temperature in the expansion
process may increase the rate of AA denaturation. The
denaturized AA may encourage C. perfringens coloniza-
tion in the ileum. Therefore, it can be speculated that
this potential increase in viable C. perfringens present
with increasing the pelletizing temperature is due to
AA denaturation. Furthermore, broilers fed a mash diet
had higher Lactobacillus spp. bacteria in the duodenum
compared with broilers fed the expanded diet.
CONCLUSION
Diets containing up to 20% corn DDGS in the grower
diet of broiler chickens decreased the pellet physical
quality without compromising chickens’ growth perfor-
mance. FP and, in particular, the SP diet, improved fi-
nal gain in broiler chickens due to improved digestibility
of GE and pellet physical quality. The expansion pro-
cess improved pellet quality; however, it did not show
any performance preference compared with the SP diet.
The pH of the GI tract changed when chickens were
fed a processed diet, following change in colonization of
Clostridium spp.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This study is supported by a 2015 Research Grant
from Kangwon National University (No. 520150150).
2418
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