Improving Soybean Meal for Canine Diets

Researchers at the University of Kentucky conducted an experiment to compare the effects of feeding soybeans containing low concentrations of oligosaccharides and phytate on nutrient availability in complete diets for dogs. Nutritionally balanced and isonitrogenous diets were formulated with conventional soybean meal; low-oligosaccharide, low-phytate soybean meal; conventional whole soybeans; or low-oligosaccharide, low-phytate soybeans. Results indicated that total digestive tract dry matter digestibility was higher for the low oligosaccharides, low-phytate meal compared to the regular meal (87.0% vs. 84.8%), whereas no differences were seen in the digestibility of the whole soybean diets (83.3%). Nitrogen retention did not differ among the diets containing the two meals (1.2g N/d) or the whole soybeans (0.9g N/d). Small intestine digestion of nitrogen did not differ between the two meal sources (80.6%) or the two whole soybean diets (69.3%). Similar results were observed in whole tract digestibility of nitrogen (meals, 83.5% and whole soybeans, 76.8%). They did observe higher tryptophan and histidine digestibilities in the soybean meal and whole soybean diets compared to diets containing the low-oligosaccharide, low-phytate meal and soybeans. The researchers concluded that these soybean products could be effective sources of highly digestible protein in canine foods. Differences in tryptophan and histidine digestibility may require consideration when formulating diets with low-oligosaccharide, low-phytate soybean products.

Yamka, R.M., B.M. Hetzler and D.L. Harmon. 2005. Evaluation of low-oligosaccharide, low-phytate whole soybean and soybean meal in canine foods. J Animal Sci. 83: 393-399.