effect of heat treatment during pelleting on metabolisable energy values of chicken diet

Pelleting is the most prevalent heat treatment in the production of poultry feed. Metabolisable energy values of mash and steam pelleted complete maize-type broiler finisher diet was investigated in an experiment with 24 individually followed Ross hybrid male chickens. Altogether four balance periods were compared. Heat treatment significantly (P < 0.001) increased classical metabolisable energy and nitrogen-corrected metabolisable energy values by 3.00 % and 2.99 %, respectively.