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Utilisation of digestible amino acids by broilers
By W.L. Bryden and X. Li
February 2004
RIRDC Publication No 04/030 RIRDC Project No US-80A
One approach to achieving this is to know the quality of ‘available’
amino acids in the feed.
Assessing ileal amino acid digestibility is considered a reasonable
method of estimating availability. Digestible amino acid values are becoming
important as the basis of poultry feed formulations.
However, few commercial nutritionists formulate diets based solely on digestible amino acids. The major reasons include: (a) wide variations in published digestible amino acid values from different sources, arising from differences in sample variation, type of birds, assay diets and assay methodology; (b) insufficient knowledge of the batch-to-batch variation of amino acid digestibility values; and (c) limited published information on broiler responses to diets formulated on the basis of digestible amino acids. Using a series of growth assays, this project addressed these limitations and demonstrated that differences in digestible amino acid content result in comparable differences in broiler performance. Specifically, broilers fed diets formulated on a digestible amino acid basis had significantly improved performance and breast meat yield. Meat yield was further increased by additional dietary methionine supplementation. Age of bird, feed enzymes and feed ingredient processing were all shown to influence the ileal amino acid digestibility of feedstuffs.
The outcomes of the project indicate that formulation of broiler diets on a digestible amino acid basis will improve bird performance and increase carcass yield, permit higher dietary inclusion of cheaper, alternative protein sources and decrease nitrogen excretion by the bird.
Optimum bird performance and profitability depend largely on adequate and consistent amino acid content of diets. To achieve this goal, ongoing research is required on amino acid digestion and utilisation. Outcomes of such research will reduce nitrogen pollution from poultry production units and increase industry profitability through savings in feed costs.
 
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