POULTRY RESEARCH
AJINOMOTO ANIMAL NUTRITION
AJINOMOTO HEARTLAND, INC.
The effect of formulating broiler diets with total
or digestible amino acids
Objective
To determine whether formulating feeds on a
digestible amino acid basis rather than total amino
acids provides a more predictable growth
response.
Experimental Procedures
Commonly used protein sources, generally
accepted as having different lysine digestibility's
were used in this study. Before conducting the
growth study the digestible amino acid (AA) and
apparent metabolizable energy (ME) values of the
ingredients (soybean meal, meat and bone meal
and fish meal) were determined.
Arbor Acre broiler chicks were fed a commercial
broiler feed from hatch to 14 days, thereafter, they
were fed the test feeds through to 24 days.
Commercially sourced soybean meal (SBM) and
meat and bone meal (MBM) were used. The fish
meal (FM) was a special, high quality Danish fish
meal, dried at a low temperature.
Digestibility of feed ingredients
The five diets were blended from a corn-soy basal
diet. In order to minimize variation between test
feeds, the test ingredient replaced a portion of the
basal diet. At day 22 0.3% chromic oxide (Cr2O3)
was added to the feeds for the last to days of the
study. On day 24, the birds were fasted overnight.
Half of the birds were fed the experimental diets at
8:00 am and the rest at 9:30 am. The birds were
sacrificed three hours later and the gut contents
from an 8 cm segment proximal to ileocecal
junction were collected and freeze-dried.
REPORT 16
Chromic oxide, using the procedure of Aguilera et
al (1988), and the amino acid contents of the feces
were determined. Amino acid absorption was
calculated by the difference between the amino
acid content of the feed and ileal digesta. The
chromic oxide giving a measure of total feed in the
ilium. The amino acid digestibility of each ingredient
was calculated by substitution, as the difference
between the amino acid digestibility of the basal
diet, divided by the amino acid content of the test
ingredient. These amino acid digestibility and
apparent ME values were used in formulating diets
for the growth experiment.
Growth trial
Seven hundred and sixty Arbor Acres broilers were
used in this study. After receiving a commercial
broiler feed for 4 days, the birds had ad libitum
access to the test feeds from 5 to 22 days.
Five diets were formulated (Table 1). All diets were
isolcaloric (ME), three were formulated with 1.0%
total lysine, using either SBM, MBM or FM and two
using SBM or MBM with added L-Lysine to bring
them up to the same digestible lysine content of the
FM diet (0.868% digestible lysine). To ensure
lysine was first limiting, additional crystalline amino
acids, including threonine, methionine tryptophan,
isoleucine, arginine and glutamic acid were added.
Eight replicates of 16 birds each were used for the
MBM and SBM groups and 16 replicates of 16
birds for the FM treatment. Birds and remaining
feed were weighed at 22 days of age.
Table 1. Diet composition
Ingredient SBM MBM FM SBM+LYS MBM+LYS
Corn 52.85 56.45 62.28 52.86 56.45
SBM 31.63 23.28 20.69 31.64 23.28
Starch 1.95 1.61 1.93 1.93 1.51
Sunflower Oil 8.44 6.95 5.11 8.43 6.95
Meat & Bone Meal -- 10.00 -- -- 10.00
Fish Meal -- -- 5.00 -- --
DL-Methionine 0.30 0.34 0.24 0.30 0.34
L-Lysine, HCl -- -- -- 0.02 0.12
L-Threonine 0.10 0.17 0.09 0.10 0.17
L-Tryptophan 0.00 0.03 0.02 0.00 0.03
L-Isoleucine 0.05 0.12 0.10 -- 0.07
L-Arginine -- 0.12 0.16 -- 0.16
L-Glutamic Acid -- -- 0.68 -- --
Other* 4.66 0.90 3.69 4.71 0.90
Nutrient content
ME (kcal/kg) 3051 3052 3050 3050 3050
CP (%) 19.3 21.5 19.1 19.3 21.7
Total Lysine (%) 1.00 1.000 1.000 1.020 1.099
Digestible Lysine (%) 0.848 0.768 0.868 0.868 0.867
* Other = Calcium carbonate, dicalcium phosphate, salt, choline chloride and vitamins & minerals

Table 2. Digestibility trial: apparent digestibility coefficient (%)*

Amino Acid Corn SBM MBM FM
Lysine 85.8 85.1 45.3 92.5
Threonine 78.4 73.4 14.8 93.4
Methionine 92.3 88.9 41.2 92.3
Met + Cys 81.9 78.7 12.7 91.8
Tryptophan 80.7 87.2 41.1 85.1
Arginine 88.9 88.2 58.4 86.7
Adopted from Esteve-Garcia et al (1993)

Figure 1. Formulating for total or digestible AA

36.5
36 35.1
Average weight gain (g/d)

35.5 FM
34.2
35 34
33.9 SBM + Lys
34.5 MBM + Lys
SBM 33.4
34
MBM
33.5
33
32.5
32
31.5
0.848 0.768 0.868 0.868 0.867
Digestible Lysine Level (% of diet)
 Figure 2. Formulating for total or digestible AA

1.65
1.625
1.603 MBM
SBM 1.591 1.589
Feed/gain (g/g)

1.6 FM SBM + Lys

1.567
MBM + Lys
1.55

1.5
0.848 0.768 0.868 0.868 0.867
Digestible Lysine Level (% of diet)

Amino Acid digestibilities
It is evident from table 2 that the fishmeal was
highly digestible, which can probably be attributed
to the low temperature drying. The amino acid
digestibility coefficients for MBM were low,
suggesting a low quality product.
Growth trial
Results presented in figures 1 and 2, clearly show
that formulating feeds using digestible lysine gave
more predictable broiler performance. The SBM
and MBM diets formulated on a digestible basis,
with the addition of L-Lysine resulted in similar daily
gains. Feed to gain, in the MBM diets improved
significantly with the addition of L-lysine.
Advances in methods for determining the digestible
amino acid content of ingredients allows for, better
definition of the amino acid content of ingredients.
This in turn facilitates formulating feeds that better
meet the nutrient requirements of the birds. "Safety
margins" can be minimized, thereby reducing
excess nutrients fed to the birds, which reduces the
amount of nitrogen excreted.
Conclusion
Formulating for digestible amino acids:
1. Improves daily gain and feed conversion ratios
for corn-soy and corn-meat and bone meal
diets.
2. Reduces performance differences between
diets.
3. Minimizes feeding excess nutrients.
Bibliography
Aguilera, J.F. C. Prieto, E. Molina, and M. Lachica,
1988. A micromethod for routine determination of
chromic oxide in nutrition studies. Analysis 16 (8):
454-457
*
E. Esteve-Garcia, E. Caparo, J. Brufau, 1993.
Formulation with total versus digestible amino
acids. IXth European Symposium on Poultry
Nutrition, WPSA JELENIA-GORA, POLAND
National Research council, 1984. Nutrient
requirements of Poultry. Nutrient Requirements of
Domestic Animals 8th ed. National Academy Press.
Washington D.C.

*
Principle reference

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