Effect of [Beta]-Glucosidase As a Feed Supplementary on the Growth Performance, Digestive Enzymes and Physiology of Broilers (Report‪)‬

INTRODUCTION [beta]-Glucosidase ([beta]-glucoside glucohydrolase; EC3.2.1.21) hydrolyzes alkyl- and aryl-[beta]-glucosides, as well as diglucosides and oligosacharides, to release glucose and an aglycone (Reese, 1977). The enzyme is wildly distributed in microorganisms, animals and plants, with Aspergillus niger (Heather et al., 2005) being the major source. It also hydrolyzes isoflavonal glycoside conjugates into isoflavone aglycones such as genistein, daidzein, and glycitein. These aglycones hydrolyzed by [beta]-glucosidases from intestinal microorganisms are readily absorbed across the villi of the intestine (Ismail et al., 2005), and possess greater bioavailability than the corresponding glycoside conjugates (Izumi et al., 2000) and wide range of biological properties such as oestrogenic, antioxidant and anti-tumor activities (Fritz et al., 1998; Brouns et al., 2002). [beta]--Glucosidase has been extensively studied due to its important medical, agricultural, biotechnological and industrial applications (Ducret et al., 2002).