The use of carbohydrases and proteases in poultry production occasionally results in inconsistent physiological responses that are difficult to explain. However, it has previously been demonstrated that a substantial portion of the variation in enzyme efficacy is associated with the inherent ileal digestibility of starch, protein and lipid, and so an appreciation for the concentration of the undigested fractions of these nutrients in a diet may help to determine the magnitude and consistency of feed enzyme responses. Considering that the expense of in vivo physiological assays for the assessment of enzyme functional pattern is high, it is crucial to develop suitable in vitro methods to predict the magnitude of enzyme response. The purpose of the current paper is to describe inherent characteristics of poultry diets and feed ingredients in response to carbohydrases and proteases in order to aid the development of in vitro assays to predict feed enzyme functional patterns.

A study on the digestive carbohydrates complex was carried out in adult Zonocerus variegatus (Orthoptera: Pyrgomorphidae) to determine the status of the cyanogenetic glucose ingested by the grasshopper feeding on cassava. Two groups of adult Zonocerus were used. One group had been starved for 48 hours immediately prior to the experiment while the other had been fed continuously. After dissection, 10 to 15 portions of intestinal tracts (i.e. foreguts, caeca, midguts, hindguts) and 20 to 30 salivary glands were respectively crushed, centrifuged and dialysed for 24 hours in distilled water. The distillates obtained from different parts of the digestive system were used for determining the osidasic activities. Twenty-three substrates; i.e. 5 oligosaccharides, 10 synthetic heterosides and 8 soluble polysaccharides were selected for measuring the activities of the enzymes. Results showed that Z. variegatus has a wide range of enzymes whose activities differ according to different portions of the gut. The mid- and hind guts are the most active parts of the digestive tract but amylase activity was higher in the salivary glands. The Zonocerus variegatus osidase complex is characterised by the following proprieties: (a) high oligosaccharides activities on α-glucopyrones (maltose, saccharose) and on β-glucopyrones (cellobiose); (b)varied heteroside activities with α-glucosides and linamarase very active; (c) amylase activity very high, and hemicellulase and cellulase activities very low. In Zonocerus, starvation increases maltose hydrolyse but it does not affect other oligosaccharide activities. On the other hand, starvation reduces most of carbohydrases activities. The origin and consequences of the linamarase activity in the insect gut are also discussed.