Table 4. Serum triiodothyronine (T3), thyroxine (T4), Ca, P, Mg, and Zn concentrations and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) activities in broiler chickens fed a nutritionally adequate diet with boron and phytase, individually or in combination.
| Diet1 | Control | Boron | Phytase | Boron + Phytase | SEM2 | P-value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| T 3 (ng/mL) | 1.17 | 1.19 | 1.19 | 1.19 | 0.02 | 0.8377 |
| T 4 (µ g/dL) | 1.96 | 1.95 | 2.19 | 2.08 | 0.07 | 0.1100 |
| Ca (mg/dL) | 5.22 | 5.91 | 5.08 | 6.02 | 0.35 | 0.1037 |
| P (mg/dL) | 5.34 | 5.11 | 6.02 | 5.11 | 0.25 | 0.8974 |
| Mg (mmol/L) | 0.61 | 0.53 | 0.61 | 0.53 | 0.03 | 0.1664 |
| Zn (µ g/dL) | 133 | 125 | 145 | 126 | 8.31 | 0.3441 |
| ALP (U/L) | 2864 | 2627 | 2502 | 2493 | 278 | 0.7630 |
| ALT(U/L) | 8.02b | 8.15b | 9.71a | 8.64ab | 0.40 | 0.0188 |
a–b
Values within a column not sharing the same superscript are different at P <0.05.
1
The broilers were fed a control diet that was formulated to meet the requirements for the strain (Ross 308) recommended by the breeder or a diet supplemented with preparations of boron (20 mg/kg), phytase (500 FTU g/kg phytase), or boron + phytase (20 mg/kg boron + 500 FTU g/kg phytase).
2
Data are the means of 12 measurements per treatment.