Minor Species Use Soybean Meal

Norwegian research conducted digestibility studies with blue foxes (Alopex lagopis) to compare apparent ileal and total tract digestibility of macronutrients and amino acids. Fifty-percent of the fish meal in the control diet was replaced with soybean meal, meat meal or bacterial protein meal. Both ileal and total tract digestibilities of crude protein and most amino acids were significantly lower for diets containing meat meal or bacterial protein compared to the fish meal control or the diet with soybean meal. The researchers concluded that although ideal digestibility values may be more accurate than total tract digestibility values in estimating protein and amino acid supply in blue foxes, total tract digestibilities are acceptable due to the small differences between total and ileal tract digestibilities for protein and amino acids. They also found the ileal digestibilities for starch and carbohydrates in the blue fox are lower than the total tract digestibility values, probably due to further microbial breakdown in the large intestine.

Vhile, S.G. and co-workers. 2005. Ileal and total tract nutrient digestibility in blue foxes (Alopex lagopus) fed extruded diets containing different protein sources. Arch. Animal Nutr. 59(1): 61-72.