%A Yueqiang GUAN, Huan ZHOU, Zhili WANG %T Effects of xylooligosaccharide on growth performance, activities of digestive enzymes, and intestinal microflora of juvenile Pelodiscus sinensis %0 Journal Article %D 2011 %J Front. Agric. China %J Frontiers of Agriculture in China %@ 1673-7334 %R 10.1007/s11703-011-1129-8 %P 612-617 %V 5 %N 4 %U {https://journal.hep.com.cn/fag/EN/10.1007/s11703-011-1129-8 %8 2011-12-05 %X

The effects of xylooligosaccharide (XOS) on growth performance, activities of digestive enzymes, and intestinal microflora of Chinese soft-shelled turtle Pelodiscus sinensis were investigated by adding different concentrations of XOS in the diet of juvenile P. sinensis. The turtles with an average initial bodyweight of 12.26±0.32 g were randomly divided into five groups, which were fed with diets containing 0 mg/kg (control), 50 mg/kg (Trial I), 100 mg/kg (Trial II), 200 mg/kg (Trial III), and 500 mg/kg (Trial IV) XOS product (95%), respectively. The feeding trial lasted for 30 days. Indices described above were determined at the end of the experiment. The results showed that the diet supplemented with XOS could enhance the growth of P. sinensis, and the growth rate of Trial III was the highest. Feed conversion ratio (FCR) of the trials was lower than that of the control. All the trials had higher activities of intestinal digestive enzymes than the control. The amylase activity of Trial II was the highest and was significantly different from that of the control, while the protease activity of the trials was not significantly but slightly higher than that of the control. The numbers of total aerobic bacteria and Enterobacteria of all the trials were significantly lower than those of the control. The number of Bifidobacteria of Trial II ranked the largest, significantly higher than that of the control, whereas the number of Bifidobacteria of all the other trials was higher but not more significant than that of the control. The results demonstrated that XOS supplementation in the diet of P. sinensis could enhance its growth and decrease FCR. Furthermore, it could enhance activities of intestinal protease and amylase and optimize its intestinal microflora. The recommended supplemental concentration of XOS in the diet of Juvenile P. sinensis should be 100– 200 mg/kg.