Archiva Zootechnica 14:1, 19-34, 2011 19 Enzyme effect on intestinal viscosity in broilers fed with wheat and barley based compound feed Lavinia Stef † , C. Julean., D. Drinceanu, Eliza Simiz, Rodica Căprită, D. S. Stef., C. Pandur Banat University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, 119 Aradului Road, 300645 Timisoara, Romania SUMMARY The objective of this experiment was to determine the protocol of enzymatic products utilization according to the wheat and barley proportion in the compound feed used in broilers. We used this experiment to analyze the anti-nutritional NSP’s effect of the wheat introduced in the compound feed in a proportion of 60 % and also of the compound feed including wheat in a proportion of 30 % and barley in a proportion of 30 %, on the digestive indices in broilers. To these, we added the variants with introduction of xylanase, in an amount of 100 ppm, and to counteract the anti-nutritional effect of the wheat and barley-based NSP, we introduced 50 ppm xylanase and 50 ppm beta glucanase. We also determined the coefficients of correlation between the digestive coefficient values (intestinal viscosity) and the soluble, insoluble and total NSP contents. The introduction of the wheat-specific enzyme in compound feed in a proportion of 60 % (LE3) or 30 % wheat and 30 % barley (LE5) determine viscosity reduction at duodenum and jejunum levels. The biggest correlation coefficient, at the age of 3 weeks at duodenum level, was recorded between viscosity and the NSPs content (0.762) and at jejunum level between viscosity and the NSPt content; at 6 weeks, the biggest coefficient at duodenum level was recorded between the NSPt content (0.987) and viscosity, and this was available in the case of jejunum, too (0.977). Keywords: broilers, barley, wheat, enzymes, intestinal viscosity INTRODUCTION Wheat has long been considered a superior poultry feed ingredient, but its feeding value can be highly variable and depends to a large extent on its content of high molecular weight, water soluble non-starch polysaccharides (NSP) (Andson, C., 1991, Bedford, M.R, et all, 1991, Choct, M. and G. Annison, 1992). Wheat contains non starch polysaccharides that reduce the utilization of nutrients. Arabinoxylans are the main NSP in wheat thay increase viscosity of † Corresponding author e-mail: lavi_stef@yahoo.com