Dietary replacement of soybean meal with heat-treated grain soybean in diets of feedlot-finished beef cattle: impacts on intake, digestibility, and ruminal parameters

The objective of this study was to assess the impact of increasing levels of heat-treated soybean in the diet of crossbred cattle during the finishing phase on nutrient intake and digestibility, ruminal parameters, digesta passage rate, nitrogen balance, and microbial protein synthesis. Five steers, crossbred 7/8 Jersey x Zebu, fitted with rumen cannulas and with an average weight of 350 ± 50 kg, were utilized. The experimental treatments consisted of 0, 7, 14, 21, and 28% inclusion of heat-treated soybean in the total diet dry matter. The animals were randomly allocated in a 5 × 5 Latin square design. Evaluation of the animals took place over five experimental periods, each lasting 20 days. During each experimental period, the first 15 days were allocated for animal adaptation to the experimental diets, followed by five days of data collection. No significant differences were observed among the diets in terms of dry matter intake (average of 6.57 kg day-1; P = 0.615) and organic matter intake (average of 6.23 kg day-1; P = 0.832). However, heat-treated soybean had a significant impact on the digestibility of dry matter (P = 0.02), organic matter (P = 0.01), crude protein (P < 0.01), and neutral detergent fiber (P < 0.01). There was no observed change on microbial protein synthesis (average of 409.6 g day-1) in animals with the inclusion of heat-treated soybean in the diets. With each 1% inclusion of heat-treated soybean in the cattle diet, there was an increase of 0.00754 units in ruminal pH values and a reduction of 0.75839 mg dL-1 in ruminal ammoniacal nitrogen values. This study suggests that heat-treated soybean can be included in up to 15% of the dry matter in diets for finishing feedlot cattle.

Effect of dietary roasted and autoclaved full-fat soybean on the performance of laying hens and egg quality traits

CONTEXT

Full fat soybean (FFSB) can be used in poultry diets as a source of fat and protein, without extra cost for oil extraction; however, raw FFSB contains several anti-nutritional factors.

AIMS

Investigating the effects of replacing dietary soybean meal (SBM) with processed (roasted or autoclaved) FFSB on the performance of laying hens and egg quality traits.

METHODS

A total of 324 Bovans White strain laying hens were randomly selected and distributed in 54 replicate cages. Based on a completely randomized design with a 2 × 4 factorial arrangement of treatments plus a control group, nine diets in which SBM were replaced with 25%, 50%, 75% and 100℅ roasted or autoclaved FFSB, with six replicates (with six hens each), were evaluated during an 8-week trial period (60-68 weeks).

KEY RESULTS

Significantly increased feed intake (FI) was observed in hens fed diets including autoclaved FFSB (p < 0.05). The interactions between SBM replacement level and processing on feed conversion ratio (FCR), egg production (EP) and egg mass (EM) were significant (p < 0.01). Hens fed the diet with 100% roasted FFSB instead of SBM showed poor performance in terms of FCR, EP and EM during the experimental period. The main effect of SBM-replacing level on Haugh unit was significant (p < 0.05). The main effect of processing on shell thickness was significant (p < 0.05), so autoclaved FFSB caused higher eggshell thickness than control and roasted FFSB.

CONCLUSIONS

Replacement of dietary SBM with autoclaved FFSB can improve laying hens' performance in terms of FCR, EP, EM and eggshell quality and yolk colour.

IMPLICATIONS

The use of autoclaved FFSB to replace commercial SBM and its oil in the diet of laying hens is recommended. Feed factories can formulate the diets of laying hens with autoclaved FFSB without extra cost due to oil extraction soybeans.

A review of thermosensitive antinutritional factors in plant-based foods

Legumes and cereals account for the vast proportion of people's daily intake of plant-based foods. Meanwhile, a large number of antinutritional factors in legumes and cereals hinder the body absorption of nutrients and reduce the nutritional value of food. In this paper, the antinutritional effects, determination, and passivation methods of thermosensitive antinutritional factors such as trypsin inhibitors, urease, lipoxygenase, and lectin were reviewed to provide theoretical help to reduce antinutritional factors in food and improve the utilization rate of plant-based food nutrition. Since trypsin inhibitors and lectin have been more extensively studied and reviewed previously, the review mainly focused on urease and lipoxygenase. This review summarized the information of thermosensitive antinutritional factors, trypsin inhibitors, urease, lipoxygenase, and lectin, in cereals and legumes. The antinutritional effects, and physical and chemical properties of trypsin inhibitors, urease, lipoxygenase, and lectin were introduced. At the same time, the research methods for the detection and inactivation of these four antinutritional factors were also summarized in the order of research conducted time. The rapid determination and inactivation of antinutrients will be the focus of attention for the food industry in the future to improve the nutritional value of food. Exploring what structural changes could passivation technologies bring to antinutritional factors will provide a theoretical basis for further understanding the mechanisms of antinutritional factor inactivation. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: Antinutritional factors in plant-based foods hinder the absorption of nutrients and reduce the nutritional value of the food. Among them, thermosensitive antinutritional factors, such as trypsin inhibitors, urease, lipoxygenase, and lectins, have a high proportion among the antinutritional factors. In this paper, we investigate thermosensitive antinutritional factors from three perspectives: the antinutritional effect of thermosensitive antinutritional factors, determination, and passivation methods. The current passivation methods for thermosensitive antinutritional factors revolve around biological, physical, and chemical aspects, and their elimination mechanisms still need further research, especially at the protein structure level. Reducing the level of antinutritional factors in the future food industry while controlling the loss of other nutrients in food is a goal that needs to be balanced. This paper reviews the antinutritional effects of thermosensitive antinutritional factors and passivation methods, expecting to provide new research ideas to improve the nutrient utilization of food.

Effects of putrescine injection in broiler breeder eggs

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of increasing doses of putrescine injected in ovo on hatchability, intestinal morphology and pre-starter performance of broilers. For this purpose, 720 eggs from broiler breeders were separated into a negative control (no injection) and injection treatments with increasing doses of putrescine (0.05; 0.1; 0.15 and 0.2%), totalling five treatments of 144 eggs each. Eggs were distributed in a completely randomized design inside the setter and the injection of solutions occurred at 17 days of incubation. After hatch, 330 birds were housed in mixed lots following the original treatments, totalling 5 treatments of 6 replicates with 11 birds each. Six birds per treatment were weighed and euthanized by cervical dislocation to collect the liver, intestine and breast 24 hr after injection, at hatch and 24 hr after hatch. At 2 days of age, intestines were collected from 4 animals per treatment to analyse histomorphology. The effects of putrescine levels were evaluated by polynomial regression models, ANOVA and Tukey test at 5% probability. The hatchability decreased linearly in response to increased doses of putrescine. The percentage of residual yolk was lower in animals that received putrescine compared to the control. After injection, the percentage of breast increased linearly, and the percentage of intestine had a quadratic response to increased doses of putrescine. However, 24 hr after hatch, the percentage of intestine linearly decreased, and the percentage of liver linearly increased in response to increased doses of putrescine. Villus height increased quadratically, crypt depth decreased linearly, and goblet cells increased linearly in response to the putrescine dose. FI and BWG were not affected in the pre-starter phase; however, FCR increased in response to increased levels of putrescine. Due to putrescine effects on embryos, it is recommended that the doses injected in ovo not exceed 0.1%.

Performance of broilers and layers supplemented with Moringa stenopetala leaf meal under hot humid tropical conditions

Context Heat stress poses a major limit to poultry production. Moringa stenopetala leaf meal (MSL) could be a promising feed additive for poultry raised under heat stress, as it is rich in antioxidants. Aims To determine the effect of (MSL) supplementation on the production and quality of broilers under heat-stress conditions. Methods In the broiler performance trial, 156 1-day old Cobb 500 broilers were assigned to four groups, with each containing three replicates of 13 chicks. For the egg production trial, 108 Bovan Brown layers aged 20 weeks were allocated to four groups, with each containing three replicates of nine hens. The four groups of broiler and layer chicken were supplemented with MSL at a level of 0% (control), 1% (MSL1), 1.5% (MSL1.5) and 2% (MSL2). Relative humidity, and minimum and maximum temperatures were 82%, 13°C and 23°C respectively. The effects of MSL supplementation on growth performance, characteristics of digestive organs, carcass traits, egg production and egg quality were analysed with one-way ANOVA. Key results Moringa stenopetala-leaf supplementation at a level up to 2% (MSL2) did not significantly affect feed intake, weight gain or feed conversion ratio of the birds. Supplemented broilers had a significantly longer large intestine (24% for MSL1, 37% for MSL1.5 and 49% for MSL2) and a heavier pancreas (82% for MSL1, 67% for MSL1.5, and 57% for MSL2) than did the control broilers. Hot and cold carcass weights, dressing yield, dressing percentage, breast-meat weight, drumstick and thigh-meat weights, wing-meat weight, back weight and meat pH were not significantly affected by MSL supplementation. Ash content of meat of the MSL2-fed birds was significantly higher than that of the control birds (3.51% vs 2.74% respectively). Egg production, feed conversion ratio and interior and exterior egg-quality parameters were not significantly affected by MSL supplementation. Intensity of yolk colour was significantly and linearly enhanced due to MSL supplementation (by ~5–8 times compared with the control). Conclusions Supplementation with MSL at a level up to 2% improved yolk colour of Bovan Brown layer eggs, with no effect on meat and egg production. Implications Yolk colour of eggs of layers raised under heat stress can be improved by MSL supplementation at 1%, with there being a minimum increase in the diet cost.

Nutrient Profiles of Wild and Captive Attwater's and Greater Prairie-Chicken Eggs

We determined reference levels of minerals, fatty acids, and fat-soluble micronutrients in eggs from wild Attwater's Tympanuchus cupido attwateri and two (Minnesota, Nebraska) greater prairie-chicken T. c. pinnatus populations for comparison with eggs produced by captive Attwater's prairie-chickens to help guide formulation and evaluation of captive diets. Levels of all minerals found in wild Attwater's prairie-chicken eggs were similar to those in at least one of the two greater prairie-chicken populations, but these levels frequently differed between the two greater prairie-chicken populations. Ratios for n-6:n-3 fatty acids were &gt;3 times higher for Minnesota greater prairie-chickens, which had more access to waste grain than Attwater's or Nebraska greater prairie-chickens. Captive eggs had n-6:n-3 ratios 6.7 times the pooled wild samples, while wild eggs had higher levels of anhydrolutein, zeaxanthin, β-carotene, and total carotenoids. More magnesium, zinc, and manganese were observed in wild eggs compared with those produced in captivity. Flaxseed was added to the captive breeder diet in an attempt to lower egg n-6:n-3 ratios, along with additional carotenoids found in marigold extract. These dietary modifications successfully lowered the n-6:n-3 ratio by 46%, but this ratio was still 3.6 times higher in captive eggs, consistent with the grain-based formulation of the breeder diet. Carotenoid additions successfully raised total carotenoids, but increases were primarily for lutein and not zeaxanthin or β-carotene as intended. Variability in egg nutrient composition among the three wild populations suggests that some tolerance exists in maternal diets, but impacts to offspring fitness are unknown. Given the purported importance of maternal nutrition to fitness of embryos and neonate chicks, we suggest additional research is needed to quantify the influence of key nutrient levels on offspring fitness for both captive and wild populations.

Apparent and standardized ileal nutrient digestibility of broiler diets containing varying levels of raw full-fat soybean and microbial protease

BACKGROUND

Although soybean meal (SBM) is excellent source of protein in diets for poultry, it is sometimes inaccessible, costly and fluctuates in supply. The SBM can partially be replaced by full-fat SBM, but the meals prepared from raw full-fat soybean contain antinutritional factors. To avoid the risk of antinutritional factors, heat treatment is always advisable, but either excessive or under heating the soybean could negatively affect the quality. However, the potential for further improvement of SBM by supplementing with microbial enzymes has been suggested by many researchers. The objective of this study was to evaluate the performance and ileal nutrient digestibility of birds fed on diets containing raw soybeans and supplemented with microbial protease.

METHODS

A 3 × 2 factorial, involving 3 levels of raw full-fat soybean (RFFS; 0, 45 or 75 g/kg of diet) and 2 levels of protease (0 or 15,000 PROT/kg) was used. The birds were raised in a climate-controlled room. A nitrogen-free diet was also offered to a reference group from day 19 to 24 to determine protein and amino acid flow at the terminal ileum and calculate the standardized ileal digestibility of nutrients. On days 10, 24 and 35, body weight and feed leftover were recorded to calculate the body weight gain (BWG), feed intake (FI) and feed conversion ratio (FCR). On day 24, samples of ileal digesta were collected at least from two birds per replicate.

RESULTS

When RFFS was increased from 0 to 75 g/kg of diet, the content of trypsin inhibitors was increased from 1747 to 10,193 trypsin inhibitors unit (TIU)/g of diets, and feed consumption of birds was also reduced (P < 0.05). Increasing RFFS level reduced the BWG from hatch 0 to 10 d (P < 0.01) and hatch to 24 d (P < 0.05). The BWG of birds from hatch to 35 was not significantly (P = 0.07) affected. Feed intake was also reduced (P < 0.05) during 0 to 35 d. However, protease supplementation improved (P < 0.05) the BWG and FCR during 0 to 24 d. Rising levels of RFFS increased the weight of pancreas (P < 0.001) and small intestine (P < 0.001) at day 24. Except for methionine, apparent and the corresponding standardized ileal digestibility of CP and AA were reduced (P < 0.01) by increasing levels of RFFS in diets.

CONCLUSION

This study showed that some commercial SBM could be replaced by RFFS in broiler diets, without markedly compromising productivity. The AID and SID of CP and lysine were slightly improved by dietary supplementation of microbial protease.

Identification of peptides in the terminal ileum of broiler chickens fed diets based on maize and soybean meal using proteomics

A total of 160 Ross PM3 birds were used in a two treatment feeding study in order to explore the usefulness of proteomics to identify the origin of peptides in ileal digesta. Two diets were fed, one conventional maize/soy-based diet acted as a reference whereas a second diet, formulated to be nutritionally equivalent to the reference diet in protein and energy provision, contained 20% raw soy meal in order to (putatively) elicit changes in intestinal protein flow. Each diet was fed to 10 replicate cages of eight birds per cage from Day 1 to 21. Feed and water were available ad libitum and an indigestible marker was included for assessment of ileal digestibility. Weight gain and feed intake were monitored and at the end of the trial period birds were killed, pancreatic mass was measured and the ileum was excised and the contents were collected, immediately frozen in liquid nitrogen and were subsequently lyophilised. Protein from the ileal digesta was extracted and exposed to proteomic analysis with peptide fragments identified and compared with an amalgamated database containing protein sequences from chicken, soy and maize. Addition of 20% raw soy meal to the maize/soy-based diet resulted in a reduction in weight gain, feed intake and an increase in feed conversion ratio (P &lt; 0.001). Pancreatic mass was significantly increased and the apparent ileal digestibility of protein was significantly decreased by raw soy meal inclusion. Overall, a total of 248 proteins were identified from endogenous origin, 336 from soy and 411 from maize. However, the relative abundance of these proteins were ~20–30% for endogenous protein, 65–75% for soy protein and ~2–4% for maize protein. The addition of 20% raw soy meal resulted in an increase in the relative abundance of endogenous protein and a reduction in the relative abundance of protein from soy with no measurable effect on the presence of protein from maize. Specifically, in the endogenous protein fraction, there was a significant reduction in the relative abundance of metalloendopeptidase, aminopeptidase and alkaline phosphatase and a significant increase in the relative abundance of colipase and trypsin, in response to raw soy meal inclusion. For proteins originating from soybean, the addition of raw soy meal to the diet resulted in a significant increase in the relative abundance of protein from the 2S albumin fraction, Kunitz and Bowman–Birk trypsin inhibitors and soybean agglutinin whereas there was a reduction in the relative abundance of globulin and glycinin. Addition of raw soy meal to the diet also resulted in a significant increase in the presence of maize prolamin in the lumen and a significant decrease in the presence of globulin-2, β-1–3-glucanase and cystatin. These results demonstrate considerable potential of proteomics technology to identify changes in the digestion and secretion of protein in the intestine of chickens. Although these data are preliminary and based on an animal model that included diets that were formulated to have a chronic effect on intestinal physiology it is evident that changes in diet composition can have a profound effect on the origin of protein that leaves the ileum.