Please cite this article in press as: Pandi, J., et al., The use of sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam) root as feed ingredient for broiler finisher rations in Papua New Guinea. Anim. Feed Sci. Tech. (2016), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.anifeedsci.2016.01.011 ARTICLE IN PRESS G Model ANIFEE-13456; No. of Pages 11 Animal Feed Science and Technology xxx (2016) xxx–xxx Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Animal Feed Science and Technology journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/anifeedsci Review article The use of sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam) root as feed ingredient for broiler finisher rations in Papua New Guinea J. Pandi a,d , P. Glatz b , R. Forder a , W. Ayalew c , J. Waramboi d , K. Chousalkar a,∗ a The University of Adelaide, School of Animal and Veterinary Science, Roseworthy Campus, Roseworthy, South Australia 5371, Australia b South Australian Research and Development Institute, Roseworthy Campus, University of Adelaide, Roseworthy, South Australia 5371, Australia c Ethiopia Agricultural Transformation Agency (ATA), Kirkos sub-city, P.O. Box: 708, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia d National Agricultural Research Institute, Momase Regional Centre, P.O. Box 1639 Lae, 411 Morobe Province, Papua New Guinea a r t i c l e i n f o Article history: Received 30 October 2015 Received in revised form 13 January 2016 Accepted 14 January 2016 Available online xxx Keywords: Sweet potato Broiler chickens Papua New Guinea Feed Dietary fibre Campylobacter a b s t r a c t The use of non conventional feedstuffs in poultry rations is now a common practice in developing countries where most of the ingredients used in the production of commer- cial poultry stockfeed are imported grains. The prices of these grains are dictated by world market prices and this translates into high retail prices for the end users. The purpose of this review is to highlight the potential of sweet potato root as a poultry feed ingredient especially for finishing off broilers in Papua New Guinea where this root crop is in abun- dance. This review discusses in general the metabolisable energy value of this crop when compared to maize and its impact on the intake of broilers when processed differently and fed at various inclusion rates. Trypsin inhibitors are the major anti-nutritive factor present in sweet potato roots; however these are eliminated with heat moisture treatments. The dietary fibre in sweet potato roots have been shown to have anti-microbial and prebiotic attributes which may be beneficial in promoting good gut health in chickens. The use of exogenous enzymes in sweet potato diets is briefly mentioned in this review. All in all, sweet potato roots can be included in diets for broiler chickens at 30% without adversely affecting intake of birds if processed correctly. However, to date limited information is available on how sweet potato can enhance digestive capacity of broiler in terms of gut morphology and digestive enzyme activities, as well as the shedding of the main zoonotic bacteria such as Campylobacter and Clostridium perfringens. The shedding of these bacteria in relation to food safety is important if sweet potato is to be used regularly in finishing off broilers in PNG. © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. Contents 1. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 00 2. Importance of sweet potato in developing countries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 00 3. Chemical composition of sweet potato roots . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 00 Abbreviations: PNG, Papua New Guinea; NSP, non starch polysaccharides; AME, apparent metabolisable energy; WSNSP, water soluble non starch polysaccharides; WINSP, water insoluble non starch polysaccharides; FCR, feed conversion ratio; SPRM, sweet potato root meal; NE, necrotic enteritis. ∗ Corresponding author. Fax: +61 8 8313 7660. E-mail address: kapil.chousalkar@adelaide.edu.au (K. Chousalkar). http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.anifeedsci.2016.01.011 0377-8401/© 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.