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Abstract
The effect of novel ingredients on poultry species will investigated in this dissertation. Five studies were conducted for a better understanding of novel ingredients. The first two studies evaluated the effect of almond hulls on broiler performance, nutrient digestibility, body composition, and cecal microbiota. The third study evaluated the effect of almond hulls on laying hen performance, egg quality, body composition, and nutrient digestibility. The fourth study evaluated a novel corn-expressed phytase on broiler performance and bone mineralization. The fifth study looked at a magnetic nano-particle phosphorus compound as a replacement for dicalcium phosphate. The results suggested the including a moderate level of almond hulls at 5% showed positive effect on weight gain, liver antioxidant capacity, body composition and digestive tract development. However, the cecal microbiota was not influenced when broilers fed a high level of almond hull diet (9%). Similarly, laying hens fed diet contains almond hulls up to 15% showed a comparable egg production and quality to the regular corn and soybean meal diet. This result confirmed that almond hulls could be used in the poultry diet. For corn-expressed phytase and magnetic nanoparticle phosphorous compound, results demonstrated both could be effectively used in broiler diet to reduce the use of dicalcium phosphate. Additionally, to determine the dietary phosphorous change, both ash concentration and ash weight are more accurate response criterion compared to weight gain.