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Evaluation of soybean meal, corn gluten meal, blood meal and fish meal as sources of nitrogen and amino acids disappearing from the small intestine of steers.

The value of soybean meal (SBM), corn gluten meal (CGM), blood meal (BM) and fish meal (FM) in supplying N and amino acids (AA) escaping ruminal microbial degradation and disappearing from the small intestine (SI) was studied in steers using a regression approach. Replacement of corn starch in diets with protein sources resulted in decreases (P less than .05) in efficiency of microbial protein synthesis. Ruminal ammonia-N (NH3-N) had the greatest increase (P less than .05) when SBM was fed; BM supplementation resulted in only nonsignificant increases in ruminal NH3-N (P greater than .05). Soybean meal had the lowest proportion of N escaping ruminal degradation (.21). Corn gluten meal-N (.86) and BM-N (.92) escaped ruminal degradation to the greatest extent, and FM-N was intermediate (.68). Protein sources followed similar trends in providing absorbable nonbacterial N to the SI. Thirteen (+/- 6.2) percent of SBM-N was absorbed from the SI; 69 (+/- 6.2), 68 (+/- 9.1) and 50 (+/- 10.1)% of CGM-N, BM-N and FM-N, respectively, were absorbed from the SI. Values for ruminal escape and SI availability for individual and total AA are presented. Of the essential AA (EAA), threonine, valine and isoleucine were more resistant to ruminal degradation; methionine, cysteine, histidine and arginine were more extensively degraded than the total AA supply. Of the EAA escaping ruminal degradation, cysteine, histidine and threonine tended to be less digestible, whereas arginine was more digestible in the SI than the total AA supply.

Amino Acids↗

Effects of a dietary mixture of meat and bone meal, feather meal, blood meal, and fish meal on nitrogen utilization in finishing Holstein steers.

Our objective was to determine to what extent rate and efficiency of protein gain in finishing cattle can be enhanced by feeding an amino acid-balanced mixture of undegraded intake proteins. The Cornell Net Carbohydrate and Protein System (CNCPS) model was used to formulate a corn-based diet that would meet the rumen requirements for 410-kg large-framed steers with an estrogen implant and fed an ionophore. The CNCPS model was also used to formulate a highly undegradable intake protein (UIP) mixture from meat and bone meal, blood meal, fish meal, and hydrolyzed feather meal to provide the amino acids needed to supplement those derived from microbial protein to better meet amino acid requirements for growth. Four Holstein steers weighing 407 kg were offered a 90:10 concentrate-forage diet at hourly intervals at 95% of ad libitum intake. The steers were injected with 500 microg of estradiol-17beta at 12-h intervals to mimic the effects of an estrogenic implant. Treatments planned consisted of inclusion of the UIP mixture at 0, 2.5, 5, and 7.5% of the diet DM. Dry matter intake was fixed at 6.4 kg/d, and DM digestibility was not significantly affected by varying the amount of UIP addition. Apparent digestibility of N increased (P = .011) from 63.8 to 65.8, 70.7, and 71.5%, the amount of N absorbed increased (P = .001) from 73 to 84, 100, and 106 g/d, and N balance increased (P = .003) from 20 to 30, 33, and 39 g/d when UIP was fed at 0, 2.6, 5.2, and 7.8% of diet DM, respectively. The efficiency of N use increased 39.7%, and biological value increased 31.6% when the UIP mixture was added to the diet. Circulating concentrations of plasma urea N (PUN) were increased (P = .017) from 4.5 for the control diet to 5.7, 6.2, and 6.1 mg/dL when the UIP mixture was added at 2.6, 5.2, and 7.8%, respectively. Corresponding IGF-I concentrations were also increased from 491 to 558 and 624 ng/mL with 2.6 and 5.2% levels of UIP addition. Plasma glucose, NEFA, and insulin concentrations were not affected by feeding the UIP mix. The rate and efficiency of N use for growth improved with addition of an amino acid-balanced UIP mixture to the diet.

Amino Acids↗

Near-infrared reflectance spectroscopy enables the fast and accurate prediction of the essential amino acid contents in soy, rapeseed meal, sunflower meal, peas, fishmeal, meat meal products, and poultry meal.

Near-infrared reflectance spectroscopy (NIRS) calibrations were developed to enable the accurate and fast prediction of the total contents of methionine, cystine, lysine, threonine, tryptophan, and other essential amino acids, protein, and moisture in the most important protein-rich feed ingredients. More than 1000 samples of global origin collected over four years were analyzed on amino acids following the official methods of the United States and the European Union. Detailed data and graphics are given to characterize the obtained calibration equations. NIRS was validated with independent samples for soy and meat meal products and compared to the amino acid predictions using linear crude protein regressions. With a few exceptions, validation showed that 85-98% of the amino acid variance in the samples could be explained using NIRS. NIRS predictions compared to reference results agree excellently, with relative mean deviations below 5%. Especially for meat and poultry meals, NIRS can predict amino acids much better than crude protein regressions. By enabling the amino acid analysis of many samples to be completed in a short time, NIRS can improve the accuracy of feed formulation and thus the quality and production costs of mixed feeds.

Amino Acids, Essential↗

Nutritive value of rubber seed (Hevea brasiliensis) meal: utilization by growing pigs of semipurified diets in which rubber seed meal partially replaced soybean meal.

Thirty-six four-way cross (Chester White X Landrace X Large White X Yorkshire) growing barrows and gilts were used to investigate the effects of replacing graded levels of protein from soybean meal with equivalent levels of protein from rubber seed meal in 16% CP semipurified diets on the performance characteristics, hematocrit, plasma metabolites and N utilization of pigs. The first diet (control) was largely cornstarch-soybean meal in which the soybean meal supplied all of the CP. In other diets, rubber seed meal replaced 10%, 20% and 30%, respectively, of the protein of soybean meal in the control diet. Twenty gilts were used in a 28-d growth trial and 16 barrows were used in an 8-d digestion trial (4-d collection). There were no differences (P greater than .05) in ADG, ADF intake and in the feed:gain ratios, even though there was a trend for lower ADG and gain:feed ratio as the level of rubber seed meal increased in the diet. There were no differences in hematocrit, but plasma protein and albumin tended to be depressed when rubber seed meal provided more than 10% of the dietary protein. Apparent digestibilities of GE, DM and N were lower with rubber seed meal at 20% of the protein than with any other diet, but apparent N retained and the percent of digested N retained were not depressed significantly (P greater than .05). Although rubber seed meal protein is of poorer quality than soybean meal protein for growing pigs, at least 10% of dietary protein can be provided by rubber seed meal without adversely affecting growth and N utilization.

Animal Feed↗

Availability of selenium in fish meal in comparison with soybean meal, corn gluten meal and selenomethionine relative to selenium in sodiumselenite for restoring glutathione peroxidase activity in selenium-depleted chicks.

We assayed the availability of selenium in feeds and selenomethionine relative to selenium in sodium selenite for restoring blood serum glutathione peroxidase activity in selenium-depleted chicks. The contents of total selenium (determined by neutron activation analyses) were for eight samples of capelin fish meal, 1.34, two samples of mackerel fish meal, 6.17, one sample of solvent-extracted soybean meal, 0.42, and one sample of corn gluten meal, 0.54 ppm in dry matter. The availability of the selenium (relative to selenium in selenite=100%) in capelin fish meal was 48.0 (38.5--60.0), mackerel fish meal, 34.1 (32.3--35.8), soybean meal, 17.5, corn gluten meal, 25.7, and in selenomethionine, 78.3%.

Animal Feed↗

Effect of replacement of fish meal by meat and bone meal and poultry by-product meal in diets on the growth and immune response of Macrobrachium nipponense.

The potential use of poultry by-product meal (PBM) and meat and bone meal (MBM) as alternative dietary protein sources for juvenile Macrobrachium nipponense was studied by a 70-day growth trial. Triplicate groups of M. nipponense (initial body weight: 0.37 g) were fed at 20.7-22.4 degrees C on each of the five isoenergetic and isonitrogenous diets (protein content about 38%) with different replacement of fish meal by MBM or PBM. The control diet used white fish meal as the sole protein source, the other four diets were prepared with 15% or 50% fish meal protein substituted by either MBM (MBM(15), MBM(50)) or PBM (PBM(15), PBM(50)). The results showed that replacement of fish meal by MBM in diets did not affect growth performance of M. nipponense (P > 0.05), while specific growth rate in PBM(15) was significantly higher than that in other groups (P < 0.05). Survival rates of shrimp fed with MBM(15) diet were significantly higher than that in other groups (P < 0.05). No significant differences in immunological parameters, including total haemocyte count (THC), phenoloxidase activity (PO) and respiratory burst (O(2)(-)), were observed between the shrimps that were fed five experimental diets, and all determined immunological parameters in control groups were slightly higher than those in replacement groups. In conclusion, either MBM or PBM investigated could replace up to 50% fish meal protein in diets for M. nipponense.

Analysis of Variance↗

Optimizing protein quality of mixtures of blood meal, feather meal and bone meal.

The protein quality of two- or three-component mixtures of blood meal, feather meal and bone meal was characterized by amino acid scores and rat net protein utilization (NPU) values. A graphic method designed to find optimum levels of the limiting essential amino acids in the mixtures was suitable for predicting the optimum of NPU values determined by feeding rats with diets having 10% crude protein. The protein quality of mixtures of blood meal, feather meal and bone meal showed an optimum if blood meal constituted 60% of the protein content of the mixtures; however, poor feed intake and growth data were obtained.

Animal Feed↗

Effects of interrupting an intraoral meal on meal size and meal duration in rats.

Most experiments on satiation do not separate the contribution to meal size of cumulative intake from that of time since meal onset. To assess the relative contributions of temporal and intake factors, the amount consumed of intraorally infused 12.5% glucose solution, delivered at a fixed rate of 1.0 ml/min, was assessed after tests that were interrupted for variable durations (Experiments I and II) beginning at different times within the test meal (Experiment I). Rats' meal size did not vary despite the imposition of single or multiple pauses which interrupted ingestion for as long as 38 min. These results show that, within this paradigm, the duration of the meal varies in service of an intake "goal". Such a defense of meal size requires accurate monitoring of the postingestive load despite its redistribution by continued gastric emptying during the imposed pauses in ingestion.

Animals↗

A mixture of cottonseed meal, soybean meal and animal byproduct mixture as a fish meal substitute: growth and tissue gossypol enantiomer in juvenile rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss).

Diets incorporating three different sources of extracted cottonseed meal (CM), soybean meal and an animal protein mixture were evaluated for juvenile rainbow trout. Fish averaging 0.96 g were divided into groups of 30; 3 groups per treatment, and each group was fed one of four diets for a 16-week period. Fish meal (FM) was replaced on a 25% protein basis by each of three different sources of CM from California (CA), Tennessee (TN), and Arkansas (AR), U.S.A. In the three CM-containing diets another 25% soybean meal protein and 50% animal protein mixture were also incorporated to completely replace FM protein. The results of growth rate and feed utilization showed that FM could be entirely replaced by a mixture of plant proteins (CM and soybean meal) and animal by-product proteins. Hematocrit levels were significantly lower in the group fed CM-containing diets than in the control. The findings suggest that CM can be used as a good protein source by the incorporation of at least 15% in diets (25% of fish meal protein replacement), and that the nutritive values of CM in juvenile trout can be different due to their different origin. Significantly higher concentrations of total gossypol were found in faeces of CM-TN (5.8 +/- 0.4 micromol/g) and CM-AR (5.6 +/- 0.6) groups than in that of CM-CA (3.7 +/- 0.4) group. It was documented that gossypol enantiomers, present in an equal proportion in diets, selectively accumulated in liver and bile, whereas equal proportions of (+)- and (-)-enantiomers were found in whole-body and faeces. Depending on CM source, fish can absorb approximately 35-50% of dietary gossypol, and the majority of the absorbed gossypol seemed to be excreted.

Animal Feed↗

In vivo measurement of flatulence and nutrient digestibility in dogs fed poultry by-product meal, conventional soybean meal, and low-oligosaccharide low-phytate soybean meal.

OBJECTIVE: To determine an optimal window for determining peak flatulence and evaluate the effects of oligosaccharides and supplemental beta-mannanase in soybean meal-based diets on nutrient availability and flatulence. ANIMALS: 6 dogs. PROCEDURES: Dogs were used in a 2 x 3 factorial arrangement of treatments in a 6 x 6 Latin square experiment to evaluate the digestibility, flatulence, and fecal odor metabolites of low-oligosaccharide low-phytate soybean meal (LLM), conventional soybean meal (SBM), and poultry by-product (PBP) meal diets with or without supplemental beta-mannanase (5 g/kg). RESULTS: Enzyme supplementation had no effect on total tract dry matter (DM), nitrogen digestibility, or digestible energy; however, differences between protein sources did exist for total tract DM digestibility and digestible energy. The PBP meal had higher DM digestibility and digestible energy (mean, 0.913 and 4,255 cal/g), compared with soy-based diets (mean, 0.870 and 4,049 cal/g). No differences were detected for any treatment regardless of protein source or addition of supplemental enzyme for any flatulence components analyzed. No differences were detected for all fecal odor metabolites regardless of addition of supplemental enzyme; however, differences between protein sources were detected. The PBP meal had lower concentrations of carboxylic acids and esters and higher concentrations of heterocycles, phenols, thio and sulfides, ketones, alcohols, and indoles than LLM and SBM. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Diets containing < 22.4 g of stachyose/kg and < 2 g of raffinose/kg did not alter digestibility or increase flatulence in dogs.

Animal Feed↗

Intestinal supply of amino acids in sheep fed alkaline hydrogen peroxide-treated wheat straw-based diets supplemented with soybean meal or combinations of corn gluten meal and blood meal.

The intestinal supply of amino acids (AA) in sheep fed alkaline hydrogen peroxide-treated wheat straw (AHPWS)-based diets supplemented with soybean meal (SBM) or corn grain plus combinations of corn gluten meal (CGM) and blood meal (BM) was measured in a 5 X 5 latin square. Sheep (avg wt 45 kg) with ruminal, duodenal and ileal cannulas were fed diets containing 65% AHPWS supplemented with the following protein sources: soybean meal (SBM), corn gluten meal (CGM), blood meal (BM), 2/3 CGM:1/3 BM and 1/3 CGM:2/3 BM. Total nitrogen (N) flow at the duodenum was not affected (P greater than .05) by protein source. Flows of bacterial N and AA increased (P less than .05) and flows of nonbacterial N and AA decreased (P less than .05) when wethers were fed SBM vs corn plus other protein sources. When diets contained SBM, quantities of total AA at the duodenum were lower (P less than .05) and the profile of AA supplied to the intestine was altered substantially. Total flows of AA at the duodenum and total quantities of AA disappearing from the small intestine were similar (P greater than .05) for all diets containing BM and CGM, but flows and disappearance of valine, histidine, lysine and arginine increased linearly (P less than .05), whereas flows and disappearance of leucine, isoleucine and methionine decreased linearly (P less than .05) as BM replaced CGM in the diets. Results suggest that quantities of individual AA flowing to the duodenum and disappearing from the intestine of wethers fed AHPWS-based diets can be altered by source of dietary protein. Furthermore, feeding protein sources resistant to ruminal degradation in combination may improve the profile of AA supplied to the intestine.

Amino Acids↗

International mycotoxin check sample program: Part I. Report on laboratory performance for determination of aflatoxins B1, B2, G1, and G2 in raw peanut meal, deoiled peanut meal, and yellow corn meal.

Three aflatoxin-contaminated samples (raw peanut meal, deoiled peanut meal, and yellow corn meal) were analyzed by 121 laboratories in 31 countries. Sufficient data were obtained to permit a statistical comparison of the performance of laboratories using the BF, CB, and EEC methods and those using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) for quantitation. No significant differences were found between means for laboratories using these 4 methods for the analysis of raw peanut meal or yellow corn meal. However, for deoiled peanut meal, means were significantly different for laboratories using the BF method compared with the CB or EEC methods for B1 and B2, and for laboratories using the CB method compared with HPLC methods for G2.

Aflatoxin B1↗

Availability of lysine in meat meal, meat and bone meal and blood meal as determined by the slope-ratio assay with growing pigs, rats and chicks and by chemical techniques.

1. The availability of lysine in four meat meals (MMs), four meat and bone meals (MBMs) and two blood meals was determined using the slope-ratio assay with growing pigs, rats and chicks and with two chemical techniques. 2. The availability of lysine (proportion of total) in the eight MMs or MBMs ranged from 0.48 to 0.88 for pigs, from 0.49 to 0.88 for rats and from 0.68 to 0.88 for chicks. There was no apparent relation between the availability estimates for pigs, rats and chicks for the individual meals. 3. For the two blood meals, availability estimates were 1.03 and 1.13 for pigs, 0.81 and 0.80 for rats and 1.07 and 1.02 for chicks. 4. Values for the indirect and direct 1-fluoro-2,4-dinitrobenzene-'available'-lysine assays ranged from 0.77 to 0.88 and 0.78 to 0.93 respectively for the eight MMs and MBMs. There appeared to be no relation between these values and the pig estimates.

Animal Feed↗

A chick bioassay approach for determining the bioavailable choline concentration in normal and overheated soybean meal, canola meal and peanut meal.

Our objectives were to use a soy protein isolate (SPI) diet containing 2-amino-2-methyl-1-propanol, an inhibitor of choline biosynthesis, to determine the bioavailable choline content of normal and overheated soybean meal (SBM), canola meal (CM) and peanut meal (PM). In the first four experiments, it was determined that weight gain of chicks fed the basal diet would respond linearly (P < 0.05) to graded levels of crystalline choline and would not respond to betaine, and that when fortified with adequate choline, no weight gain or feed intake response would occur upon addition of 100 g/kg SBM, CM or PM to the basal diet. Furthermore, addition of crystalline amino acids simulating the amino acid composition of 100 g/kg SBM did not alter the utilization of crystalline choline. In Experiment 5, feeding graded doses of choline, SBM, CM or PM resulted in linear (P < 0.05) increases in weight gain. Multiple linear regression analysis indicated bioavailable choline concentrations of 1708, 1545 and 1203 mg/kg for SBM, CM and PM, respectively. In Experiment 6, no differences (P > 0.05) in bioavailable choline concentrations occurred between normal and overheated SBM, CM or PM, and the bioavailable choline concentration of normal SBM, CM and PM was 2002, 1464 and 1320 mg/kg, respectively. Average bioavailable choline levels were 83, 24 and 76% of analytically determined choline levels in SBM, CM and PM, respectively. Canola meal, although three times as rich in total choline as SBM, has less bioavailable choline than SBM. A substantial portion of choline in SBM, CM and PM is unavailable, and overheating does not appear to decrease the bioavailability of choline in these products.

Animal Feed↗

Hydrolysis time as a factor affecting the nutritive value of feather meal and feather meal-blood meal combinations for growing calves.

The objectives of this research were to determine 1) the effects of hydrolysis time on feather meal (FTH) protein digestion and ruminal escape and 2) whether adding blood meal (BM) to FTH evoked a complementary response in animal performance. A lamb digestion trial was conducted to estimate true protein digestibility of soybean meal (SBM), BM, and FTH hydrolyzed for 10, 12, 15, or 18 min. Ruminal escape was estimated in situ. Two 94-d growth trials were conducted using 60 growing calves (226 kg) per trial to evaluate urea, FTH, BM, and 87.5:12.5, 75:25, and 50:50 combinations (CP percentage basis) of FTH:BM. There were small numerical differences in estimated escape of protein from the rumen and DM and protein digestibilities due to hydrolysis time. True protein digestibility of the 10- and 18-min samples was 5% higher (P less than .05) than for the 12- or 15-min FTH samples. In the growth trial, the slope-ratio technique showed that the most efficiently used protein supplement was 100% BM (protein efficiency = 2.45 +/- .19). No differences (P = .30) in protein efficiency were observed among supplements containing various combinations of FTH:BM. There was a quadratic (P less than .01) response to the level of BM, indicating a complementary effect. The largest complementary effect occurred at the 12.5% level of the BM addition. There were no nutritionally important effects of hydrolysis time between 10 and 18 min. Furthermore, supplements can be formulated more economically using small amounts of BM with FTH without compromising biological efficiency.

Animal Feed↗

Effect of restricted forage intake on ruminal disappearance of bromegrass hay and a blood meal, feather meal, and fish meal supplement.

Two experiments were conducted to determine in situ disappearance of bromegrass hay and a ruminally undegraded protein (RUP) supplement in beef cattle fed restricted amounts of forage. Six Angus crossbred cattle (BW = 589 +/- 44.4 kg; three steers and three heifers) fitted with ruminal cannulas were fed chopped (2.54 cm) bromegrass hay (8.9% CP) at one of three percentages of maintenance intake (30, 55, or 80%; one steer and one heifer per treatment). In both experiments, the cattle were allowed 7 d for diet adaptation followed by 3 d of sample collection. In Exp 1, in situ bags (50 microm pore size) containing 4.1 g of brome-grass hay (OM basis) were inserted into the rumen and subsequently removed at 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 24, 36, and 48 h after insertion. Nonlinear regression models were used to determine the rapidly solubilized protein Fraction A, the potentially ruminal degradable protein Fraction B, the ruminally undegraded protein Fraction C, and protein degradation rate. Intake level did not affect (P = 0.15 to 0.95) forage protein remaining after in situ incubation or Fractions A, B, and C; however, effective ruminal degradation of hay protein tended to increase quadratically (P = 0.12) as forage intake increased. In Exp 2, 4.2 g (OM basis) of an RUP supplement (6.8% porcine blood meal, 24.5% hydrolyzed feather meal, and 68.7% menhaden fish meal) formulated to provide equal amounts of metabolizable protein across all levels of hay consumption was evaluated in a similar manner as in Exp 1. The undegraded protein fraction of the supplement did not differ (P = 0.16 to 0.74) across treatments at 3, 6, 9, and 18 h; however, increasing forage intake resulted in a linear increase (P < or = 0.06) in undegraded protein remaining at 12, 15, 24, 36, and 48 h. Dietary treatment had no affect (P = 0.30) on protein Fractions A, B, or C; however, protein degradation rate of the supplement decreased linearly (P = 0.03) as forage intake increased. Therefore, effective ruminal degradation of the supplement decreased linearly (P = 0.01) from 50.8 to 40.9% as forage intake increased from 30 to 80% of maintenance. Corresponding estimates of supplement RUP were 49.2, 56.5, and 59.1% for the 30, 55, and 80% of maintenance intake treatments, respectively. Restricting dietary intake can decrease the quantity of dietary protein that escapes ruminal degradation. Tabular estimates of RUP may not be appropriate for formulating diets to balance metabolizable protein in beef cattle consuming limited quantities of forage.

Animal Feed↗

Replacement of soybean meal by cottonseed meal and peanut meal or both in low energy diets for broilers.

In a feeding trial, 936 1-day-old male (Hybro) broilers were allocated equally to 72 cages to evaluate cottonseed meal (CSM) and peanut meal (PNM) as substitutes for soybean meal (SBM). The 12 treatments were completely randomized among the cages. All diets were balanced to maintain equal levels of sulfur amino acids and lysine and were kept isocaloric (2,850 kcal ME/kg) and isonitrogenous (CP 21%). Feeding diets containing increasing amounts of CSM (0, 8, 16, and 24%) had a negative linear effect (P less than .05) on body weight gain and a positive linear effect (P less than .05) on feed:gain ratio of broilers to 3 wk of age. Diets with 8, 16, and 24% CSM contained 0, 196, and 310 ppm free gossypol, respectively, after chelation with iron from the feedstuffs and premix used in the diets. The improved growth and feed intake (P less than .05) resulting from the addition of 600 ppm Fe to the diet containing 24% CSM suggested that the negative effect of CSM was due to the high content of free gossypol. Increasing PNM from 5 to 10 and 15% had a negative linear effect (P less than .05) on body weight gain at 3 wk of age, due to the elevated levels of total iron in the 10 and 15% PNM diets (390 and 520 ppm, respectively). Addition of CSM at 8% with PNM at 5 or 10% had a negative linear effect (P less than .01) on body weight gain at 3 and 6 wk of age and a positive linear effect (P less than .05) at 3 wk of age on feed:gain, due to the high iron contents of 330 and 460 ppm, respectively.

Animal Feed↗

Determination of available amino acids and energy in alfalfa meal, feather meal, and poultry by-product meal by various methods.

Several experiments were conducted to evaluate various methodologies for determining availability of amino acids (AA) and energy in alfalfa meal (AM), feather meal (FM), and poultry by-product meal (PBPM). Digestibility of AA was determined with 48-h precision-fed cockerel assays using conventional (CONV) and cecectomized (CEC) cockerels. Amino acid bioavailability was assessed with chick growth assays. True digestibility values of most AA were significantly lower for CEC than for CONV cockerels. In the chick growth assays, partitioning weight gains to reflect only growth attributable to supplemental crystalline AA or test feedstuff AA consumption often yielded higher bioavailability values than when total weight gains were used for FM and PBPM but lower ones for AM. The magnitude of differences between AA digestibility (cockerels) and AA bioavailability (chicks) values varied among feedstuffs; the largest differences were observed for FM. The TMEn values of AM and PBPM were lower for CEC birds than for CONV birds, whereas TMEn of FM was similar for both types of birds.

Amino Acids↗