Standardized Ileal Amino Acid Digestibility of Red and White Pigeon Peas (Cajanus cajan (L.) Millsp) in Broiler Chicks

This study evaluated the standardized ileal amino acid digestibility of two varieties of pigeon pea in broiler chicks. The experiment was carried out at the Poultry Unit of the Teaching and Research Farm, University of Ibadan, Nigeria between May and July, 2019. Two hundred and forty (240) one-day old Abor Acre plus-strain broiler chicks were fed a commercial broiler starter diet for 15 days. On day 16, the birds were weighed, tagged and randomly allotted to 4 dietary treatments (Diet 1: Nitrogen Free Diet (NFD); Diet 2: Highly Digestible Protein (HDP); Diet 3: Red Pigeon Pea (RPP), Diet 4: White Pigeon Pea (WPP) with 6 replicates and 10 birds each in a randomized complete block design. On day 21, birds were sacrificed and digesta collected from terminal ileum. The Endogenous Amino Acid Losses (EAAL), Apparent Ileal Amino Acid Digestibility (AIAAD), Standardized Ileal Amino Acid Digestibility (SIAAD) were estimated. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and ANOVA at P = .05. Higher EAA flow (P < .001) was recorded in lysine and aspartic acid for NFD while endogenous alanine flow was higher in HDP. Arginine had the lowest apparent digestibility values for both WPP and RPP. Apparent digestibility values of histidine, phenylalanine, valine, aspartic acid, glycine, proline and serine in WPP were significantly (P = .05) higher than in RPP with their corresponding higher (P = .05) SID values. Arginine had the lowest SIAAD value when AIAAD was corrected with HDP or NFD. In conclusion, WPP had higher CP level as well as higher digestibility values for some amino acids than RPP. The method used for standardization did not affect SIAAD values corrected with NFD or HDP for WPP and RPP respectively. Therefore, either of the two methods can be used to correct for endogenous amino acid losses.

Progress in ileal endogenous amino acid flow research in poultry

The progress in our understanding of the endogenous protein concept over the past century is reviewed. Non-dietary proteins found in the digesta at the terminal ileum of poultry, known as endogenous protein loss, are comprised of digestive secretions, mucus and sloughed gut epithelial cells. The measurement of this loss is of fundamental importance because it is an indicator of gut metabolism and is essential to adjust apparent estimates of ileal amino acid digestibility. The ileal endogenous amino acid losses comprise of two components, namely basal and specific losses. The basal losses are fixed and associated with feed dry matter intake, whereas the specific losses are variable and induced by the presence of dietary components such as fibre and anti-nutrients. Currently there is no methodology available to directly measure the specific endogenous losses and these losses are calculated by determining the basal and total (basal plus specific) losses and, then subtracting the basal losses from total losses. The seminal features, specific applications and shortcomings of available methodologies are briefly outlined as well as the practical challenges faced in using the published endogenous amino acid loss values for true digestibility corrections. The relevance of taurine as a component of endogenous protein flow in poultry is identified for the first time.

Myoglobins engineered with artificial cofactors serve as artificial metalloenzymes and models of natural enzymes

Metalloenzymes naturally achieve various reactivities by assembling of limited types of cofactors with endogenous amino acid residues. Enzymes containing metal porphyrinoid cofactors such as heme, cobalamin and F430 exert precise...

Regression-Derived Ileal Endogenous Amino Acid Losses in Broiler Chickens and Cannulated Pigs Fed Corn Fiber, Wheat Bran, and Pectin

The objective of these studies was to determine the effect corn fiber (CF), wheat bran (WB) and pectin (PEC) on basal ileal endogenous amino acid (EAA) losses in broiler chickens (Exp. 1) and cannulated pigs (Exp. 2) using the regression method. Semi-purified diets containing 100 g/kg of CF, WB, or PEC (broiler chickens) and CF or PEC (pigs) were fed to replicate cages consisting of eight birds per cage of 21-d-old broiler chickens and six replicates of pigs consisting of one pig per pen. Ileal endogenous His, Glu, and Pro losses were higher (p < 0.05) for CF and WB compared with birds fed diets containing PEC. Contrasts between CF and WB showed higher (p < 0.05) ileal endogenous nitrogen, total amino acid, His, Ile, Met, Glu, Pro, and Tyr losses in birds fed the CF diets (Exp. 1). Contrasts of EAA losses between birds fed the WB and PEC diets showed higher (p < 0.05) losses for His, Glu, and Pro. In the cannulated pigs, CF resulted in higher (p < 0.05) ileal endogenous His, Leu, and Tyr losses. In summary, CF induced higher ileal EAA losses in broiler chickens and cannulated pigs.