Enzymes Functions

[Jeffery Escobar]

Pancreatic-secreted enzymes will perform most of the digestion in the small intestine. They are secreted as zymogens or inactive enzymes, which are activated via cleavage by trypsin, which in turn is activated by intestinal enterokinase. If enzyme secretion is impaired, then inadequate digestion will take place, lowering digestibility coefficients and the ability of birds to obtain nutrients from the diet. Subsequently, growth performance will be impaired as well and FCR will likely get worse. Rapid transit is a condition where indigested feed particle can be found in poultry excreta and signifies poor digestion that could be associated with poor pancreatic enzyme activity and/or secretion.