Dietary soybean meal (SBM) quality can negatively impact intestinal health and performance in broiler chickens. The purpose of the present study was to develop a model to compare the effects of dietary SBM quality and live coccidiosis vaccine cycling on organ weights and performance in broiler chickens. At day of hatch (DOH), chicks were randomly assigned to one of two groups (n=12 pens/group): 1) high-quality (HQ) SBM or 2) low-quality (LQ) SBM. Group 1 received HQ SBM diet formulated to meet or exceed requirements. Group 2 received LQ SBM diet designed to induce inflammation resulting in lower body weight (BW) and decreased feed conversion ratio (FCR). The LQ SBM was produced using a 1:1:1 mixture of uncooked SBM, normal SBM, and overprocessed SBM (autoclaved ~125C for 60 minutes). Chicks were orally gavaged with a 1X dose of a commercial live coccidiosis vaccine containing E. acervulina, E. tenella and E. maxima at DOH. Pen weights were recorded at DOH and weekly thereafter to determine average BW and BW gain. Feed was weighed weekly to calculate feed conversion ratio (FCR) and feed intake (FI). On D15, D28, and D42, individual organ weights were recorded (n=24 chickens/treatment) to calculate relative organ weights (%). Blood was also collected (n=10 chickens/treatment) to assess heterophil:lymphocyte ratio (H:L ratio). Data were analyzed using Analysis of Variance with significantly (P≤0.05) different means separated using Student’s T-test. Average BW (g) was significantly higher in the HQ group than the LQ group at D7, D21 and D28. At D42, the HQ group had an average BW significantly higher than the LQ group. Both average BWG (g) and FCR were significantly improved from D0-D42 for the HQ group compared to the LQ. Additionally, the LQ group had significantly higher relative whole gut and pancreas weight (%) than the HQ group on D15, D28 and D42, whereas the HQ group had markedly (P ≤ 0.05) higher liver and spleen weights (%) on D15. There were no statistical differences between the two groups at any time point evaluated for H:L ratio.
Article Quarter: FY24 Q2
Utilization of near-infrared reflectance spectroscopy to predict the digestible lysine, methionine, threonine and nitrogen-corrected true metabolize energy content of mechanically and solvent-extracted soybean meals
Soybean meal (SBM) is a widespread constituent of poultry diets internationally. However, variations in agronomic conditions, cultivar variety, and processing techniques can alter digestible lysine, methionine, threonine, and nitrogen-corrected true metabolize energy content (TMEN) of SBM. To detect these deviances in nutritional value, broiler or rooster bioassays with subsequent laboratory analyses can be completed to determine digestible amino acid and TME content. But, these bioassay determinations are expensive and time-consuming. In contrast, near-infrared reflectance spectroscopy (NIRS) has the potential to enable the rapid prediction of nutritional component values of feed ingredients upon delivery and prior to incorporation into poultry diets. The goal of the current research was to design NIRS calibration curves that accurately predicted the TMEN and digestible lysine, methionine and threonine content of solvent-extracted and mechanically processed SBM. The TME and digestible amino acid content for over 100 SBM samples was determined by the intact and cecectomized rooster bioassays, respectively. Each SBM sample was uniformly ground prior to obtaining a complete near-infrared spectral analysis using a Bruker MPA: FT-NIR Spectrometer equipped with OPUS software. Roughly half of the samples were used to construct each calibration curve, while the remaining half were used to validate each calibration curve. For the validation samples, the relationship between the predicted values obtained from the NIRS calibration curve versus the rooster bioassay determined values had correlation coefficients (R2) values ranging from 0.83 to 0.90 for digestible lysine, methionine, and threonine content and 0.98 for TMEN. However, for all three amino acids and TMEN, the validation samples had predicted values that deviated less than plus or minus 2.5% of their bioassayed determined value, except for two samples in the methionine validation and one sample in the threonine validation, which had NIRS predicted values that deviated more than 2.5%, but less than 5% of their bioassayed values.
Precision Nutrition: The value of soybean meals by origin in poultry and swine feed formulation
Soybean meal (SBM) is the main source of amino acids (AA) for poultry and swine and accounts for 25% of the metabolizable energy. Variability due to SBM origin affects cost and diet precision to provide nutrients. The present study evaluated the difference between using the average nutrient values of SBM without considering their origin, and the inclusion of SBM from five origins: North Carolina (NC), Eastern (EAST) and Western (WEST) US Corn Belt, Argentina (ARG) and Brazil (BRA) analyzed with NIRS AMINONIR® (Evonik) from 2020 and 2021. These sources had significant differences (P<0.001) in AA and energy content. Diets were formulated in a least-cost formulation software (Concept 5.0®). Starter, grower, and finisher broiler diets were formulated following the Ross 708 (2019) nutrient specifications. Grower brown and white layer diets for phases 1 and 2 were formulated following the Hy-Line (2021) nutritional guide. For swine, diets for growing boars and gilts, phases 2 and 3 were formulated based on PIC (2021) guide. High market prices were used for all ingredients except for SBM. Four SBM prices (590, 511, 432, and 353 $/MT) were evaluated in a sensitivity analysis formulating 440 diets in a factorial arrangement. The relative SBM economic value ($/MT) was es- timated as Base SBM price ($/MT) – [TDCtest – TDCBase)/ SBMtest x 1000]; where “TDC” is the total diet cost ($/MT), assuming the inclusion of the specified SBM, and “SBM” is the amount of SBM included in the diet (kg/MT). The Base SBM was the NC SBM. Results indicated no interactions (P>0.05) and diets including NC SBM were cheaper (P<0.001) for broilers (1.40–34.32 $/MT), layers (0.27-27.24 $/MT), and swine (0.18- 15.90 $/MT). Based on relative SBM value, the NC SBM had a premium value ($/MT) over the other sources ranging from 8.17 to 98.73 for broilers, 10.57 to 99.74 for layers, and 0.80 to 106.36 for swine. When comparing diet nutrient composition, SBM as a commodity with average nutrient values disregarding their specific nutrient content by origin can cause deficient diets when EAST and WEST SBM are included, and nutrient excess in diets with NC and BRA SBM.
Effect of low protein soybean meal with soy hull or wheat- bran inclusion to corn-based diets on ileal digestibility, jejunum histomorphology, and expression of nutrient transporters under mild coccidiosis
We previously reported that a low-protein soybean meal, LPSBM vs. high-protein SBM (HPSBM), produced greater body weight in the starter phase of broiler chickens and marginally higher body weight on d42 in cocci-challenged broilers. This study investigates possible mechanisms accounting for the differences in performance we reported. A 42-day floor pen trial with 10 treatments and 6 replicates/treatment with 15 birds/replicate was used to study the objective. Treatments were arranged in a 5 × 2 factorial with factors as diets (5 diets) and cocci (challenge; CH vs. no challenge; NCH). Diets were: 1. LPSBM, 43% CP; LPSBM was prepared by mixing soy hull (SH) with HPSBM, 48% CP; 2. corn-HPSBM diet; 3. corn-LPSBM + xylanase, 4. HPSBM+ 5% wheat bran (WB) and 5. HPSBM+ xylo-oligosaccharides. All the diets were isonitrogenous and isocaloric with the same level of digestible AA. Birds in CH group were challenged with a mixture of Eimeria species on d15, while NCH group received tap water. At day 21, ileal digesta were collected to determine ileal amino acid digestibility (IAD). Jejunum tissue was collected for histology and mRNA expression of nutrient transporters and tight junction genes, and breast tissue for protein synthesis (mTOR, EEF2, 4EBP1) and degradation genes (Myog, MYF5, FBX09). Cocci challenge decreased (P < 0.05) IAD of all the AA. Threonine digestibility was greater (P < 0.05) for LPSBM and LPSBM+ xylanase than for other diets. The villi were shorter, and crypts were deeper (P < 0.05) in the CH group. Cocci challenge increased P < 0.05) claudin and GLUT1 mRNA expression but decreased (P < 0.05) expression of Bo+AT. There was higher mTOR and MYF5 (P < 0.01) expression in CH. There was significant diet × cocci for expression of EEF2, 4EBP1, Myog, and FBXO9 (P < 0.05). There was a decrease in mRNA of EEF2, 4EBP1, and FBXO9 in NCH group. However, in the CH group, LPSBM + xylanase tended to decrease the mRNA expression of the genes.
Evaluation of 24 commercial lots of soybean meal of different origins indicates that both KOH protein solubility and trypsin inhibitor analyses are needed to de-termine soybean meal quality
A set of 24 solvent extracted commercial soybean meal (CSBM) samples, which corresponded to the same lots of CSBM used in the field, were evaluated. The CSBM were from different origins (Argentina, Bolivia, Paraguay, Trinidad & Tobago, U.S.). The objective herein was to evaluate the relationship between KOH protein solubility (KOHPS, a measurement of overprocessing) and trypsin inhibitor activity (TIA, a measurement of underprocessing and overprocessing) and to determine if their ranges of adequacy overlap. The 24 CSBM samples were analyzed for: 1) KOHPS (Ruiz et al. 2022 IPSF Abstract M105), 2) TIA by the new official AOCS enzymatic method (Ba 12a-2020) and a NIR method (Evonik AminoN- ir®), and 3) in vivo amino acid (AA) digestibility determined utilizing the precision-fed cecectomized rooster bioassay as described by Corray et al. (2018. Poult. Sci. 97:3987-3991). Correlations were conducted using PROC GLM in SAS (2013) and the significance value was determined at P < 0.05. The KOHPS values ranged from 88 to 52%, while TIA ex- pressed as TUI/mg ranged from 12.8 to 1.0 and TIA expressed as mg trypsin inhibited (TId)/g ranged from 4.9 to 0.6 (Evonik NIR method). There was a positive correlation (P < 0.05) between the AOCS enzymatic method and the Evonik NIR method. Lysine digestibility coefficients (dLYS) ranged from 0.9602 to 0.7018 and were positively correlated with KOHPS (P < 0.05). Ruiz et al. (2022 IPSF Abstract M106) previously re- ported that CSBM that was adequately processed (i.e. not overprocessed) exhibited 80 to 85% KOHPS, which correlated with 0.88 dLYS coefficient or greater. Samples that exhibited 80 to 85% KOHPS herein had variable TIA. Some of these samples contained 3.5 to 5.3 TUI/mg (2.5 to 3.0 mg TId/g) and the field assessment was satisfactory; however, some of these samples contained 6.4 to 12.8 TUI/mg (3.4 to 4.9 mg TId/g), which correlated with the observation in the field of rapid feed passage and poor zootechnical performance in broilers internationally.
Precision nutrition: The value of considering the energy, amino acid content, and digestibility values of soybean meals in feed formulation
Precision nutrition depends on using accurate nutritional information in feed formulation. Soybean meals (SBM), the primary amino acid (AA) source vary by country of origin influencing diet precision. Results from NIRS may be beneficial in describing the nutrient value of SBM sources. This study evaluated the differential feed cost, and relative value of SBM from three origins: Argentina (ARG), Brazil (BRA), and the United States (USA). The global database from NIRS Precision Nutrition Evaluation (PNE) from Adisseo® was used to assess differences in proximate composition, AMEn, AA content and digestibility. The PNE use direct calibration with in vivo of experiments to estimate AMEn and AA digestibility. Information from two harvest (2020 and 2021) were used for least-cost feed formulation (Concept 5.0®). Starter, grower, and finisher broiler diets were formulated following Aviagen (2022) nutrient recommendations. Diets for two production phases of Brown and White W-36 layers were formulated following Hy-Line recommendations (2022). Average market prices (2023) were applied to all ingredients except for corn and SBM. High, medium and low prices of SBM (590.0, 471.5, 353.0 $/MT) and corn (323.0, 236.22, 198.82 $/MT) were used in a factorial combination to obtain 378 diets. The relative SBM economic value ($/MT) was estimated using the following formula: Relative value of SBM ($/MT) = Base SBM (USA) price ($/MT) – [TDCtest – TDCBase)/ SBMtest x 1000]; where “TDC” is the total diet cost ($/MT), assuming the inclusion of the specified SBM, and “SBM” is the amount of SBM included in the diet (kg/MT). Results indicated significant differences (P<0.001) among SBM country of origin for nutrient, energy, and AA digestibility. Despite ingredient price and nutrient per year variability (P<0.01), diets formulated with USA SBM were cheaper (P<0.01) for broilers (2.76–9.84 $/MT) and layers (0.41- 13.45 $/ton). Exceptions were noted for ARG SBM in Brown phase 2 and White layers with high or medium SBM with high corn prices. The USA SBM had a premium value that ranged from 7.94-29.22 $/MT for broilers, and 2.08-46.50 $/MT for layers.
Effects of varying branched-chain amino acid ratio using corn gluten meal, L-isoleucine, and L-valine on 0-21d turkey poult performance
Providing amino acids (AA) in concentrations that optimize production performance is critical to turkey production. The branched-chain amino acids (BCAA) leucine (Leu), isoleucine (Ile), and valine (Val) are essential AA needed for protein synthesis and energy production, in addition to performing anabolic signaling functions via activation of the mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway. Due to the similarity of chemical structure among the three BCAA, imbalanced dietary ratios can lead to metabolic competition and enzymatic degradation of limiting BCAA, particularly in diets with excess Leu. Concentrated corn protein ingredients such as corn gluten meal (CG) contain high levels of Leu and thus can alter BCAA requirement; however, L-Ile and L-Val may be added to balance BCAA ratios. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of manipulating BCAA ratios in diets using CG, L-Ile, and L-Val on live performance of Nicholas Select turkey hens from 0-21d of age. Using a 38.4% corn and 49.8% soybean meal-based diet as the Control, five treatments were created to model the impact of BCAA ratio: Low CG (5.5%), High CG (11%), High CG + Val, High CG + Ile, and High CG + Val + Ile. Formulated Leu:Lys ratios were 1.30, 1.43, 1.60, 1.58, 1.60, and 1.58, respectively. Diets were fed to 15 replicate cages of 8 poults from 0-3d and 6 poults from 3-21d, utilizing a randomized complete block design. Performance was measured on day 14 and 21 and analyzed using a one- way ANOVA followed by Fisher’s LSD test where appropriate (α=0.05). Performance data at day 14 and 21 indicated that High CG decreased feed intake, bird weight, live weight gain, and increased feed conversion ratio relative to the Control (P<0.05). Additions of L-Ile and L-Val produced performance equivalent to the Control (P<0.05) at d14 and decreased feed conversion ratio relative to the Control (P<0.05) at d21.
Effects of the different ratios of branched chain amino acids (BCAAs) on growth performance, meat quality, and intestinal health in broilers fed with low and high crude protein diet
The branched-chain amino acids (BCAA), including leucine (Leu), valine (Val), and isoleucine (Ile), are indispensable amino acids with similar structures, and impact poultry growth, intestinal health, and immunity. In general, poultry feed contains more Leu than Val and Ile. However, when chickens are fed low crude protein (CP) diets, there can be an imbalance in BCAAs, negatively affecting growth performance. Therefore, we aimed to investigate how different BCAA ratios in both low and high CP diets influence growth performance, meat quality, and intestinal health in broilers. The study was conducted using a completely randomized design, employing a 4 × 2 factorial arrangement. A total of 1,280 0-d-old male Cobb 500 broilers were allotted to 8 groups, each with 8 replicates, and raised until 42 days. The four different BCAA ratios were as follows: 1) Low Leu + high Val/Ile; 2) Normal BCAAs with soybean meal (SBM) without wheat middling (WM); 3) Normal BCAAs with WM; and 4) High Leu + Low Val/Ile. The two different dietary CP groups were: 1) Low CP (Starter, 20.5%; Grower, 18.5%; and Finisher, 17.5%); 2) High CP (Starter, 22.5%; Grower, 20.5%; and Finisher, 19.5%). All data were subjected to statistical analysis using 2-way ANOVA, and Tukey’s HSD test or Student’s t-test was applied if the P < 0.05. The Low CP group significantly in- creased body weight gain (BWG), feed intake (FI), carcass weight, and relative pectoralis major weight when compared to the High CP group (P < 0.001). The High Leu + Low Val/Ile group significantly decreased BWG, FI, feed efficiency, carcass weight, and relative pectoralis major/ minor weight when compared to the other BCAA ratio groups (P < 0.001). The Normal BCAAs with SBM group significantly increased BWG and feed efficiency when compared to the Normal BCAAs with WM group (P < 0.001). No significant differences were observed in intestinal mor- phology and microbiota analysis among all the treatments.
Amino acid standardized ileal digestibility together with concentrations of digestible and metabolizable energy in Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast and soybean meal for gestating sows
The standardized ileal digestibility (SID) of amino acids (AAs) plus crude protein (CP), in addition to digestible energy (DE) and metabolizable energy (ME) concentrations, was assessed through two experiments on Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast (SCY) combined with soybean meal (SBM) for gestating sows. SCY and SBM were subjected to experiment 1 for the determination of CP and AAs in terms of SID. Under a randomized complete block design, three dietary treatments were provided for a total of 24 Landrace × Yorkshire gestating sows (parity 2), with the distal ileum clipped by a T-cannula at gestational day 33 based on body weight (BW) (194.1 ± 7.1, 195.3 ± 8.5, and 195.3 ± 8.6 kg). SCY and SBM were used as the only source of nitrogen to prepare two semi-purified diets and a nitrogen-free diet was also utilized to examine CP plus AAs for basal ileal endogenous losses. The gestating sows were initially fed these diets for 5 d to allow for adaptation, and ileal digesta was collected 2 d later for analysis. CP and all AAs in SCY, except for Trp and Gly, showed significantly lower SID than those in SBM (P < 0.05). Among the essential AAs, the range of SID was 68.8% for Thr to 92.2% for Arg in dried yeast, and from 79.9% for Thr to 98.6% for Met in SBM. DE plus ME were measured via experiment 2 with a randomized complete block design on SCY and SBM. Eighteen day-35 Landrace × Yorkshire pregnant sows (parity 3) were allocated to three diets based on BW (233.3 ± 16.0, 233.4 ± 9.6, and 233.4 ± 10.3 kg). Three diets were adopted for the experiment, namely, a corn-based diet as well as two diets containing 20.2% SCY and 20.0% SBM samples. The full fecal collection method, comprising a 5-day adaptation period before a 5- to 6-d experimental period for quantitative urine and feces collection, was employed for metabolic trials. The DE and ME for SCY were remarkably decreased compared with those for SBM (3812 kcal/kg DM vs. 4264 kcal/kg DM and 3714 kcal/kg DM vs. 4157 kcal/kg DM), respectively (P < 0.05). No differences were observed in the apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD) of organic matter, CP, and gross energy between SCY and SBM, but ATTD was significantly reduced in SCY for acid detergent fiber, dry matter, and neutral detergent fiber by contrast with SBM (P < 0.05).
Evaluation of soybean ingredients in pet foods applications: Systematic review
Soybean is a dominant oilseed in the U.S. Although soybeans are valuable ingredients for dogs and cats, soybean use in current pet foods has been low. The research was conducted to answer this question: what effects, if any, do soybean ingredients in dog or cat diets have on animal health and nutrition, palatability, feeding behavior, allergenicity, and extrusion processing? We summarized the most current research on soybeans in pet foods published since 2000. We discussed the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of soybean in pet food applications. We concluded that various food processing technologies and the versatility of soybean ingredients have been demonstrated to offer considerable potential for inclusion as oil, protein, fiber, or functional ingredients in pet foods. Our work will be valuable, providing research status and gaps.
Soybean use has been low in pet foods, even though they are an excellent source of protein, polyunsaturated fatty acids, and gut fermentable fibers. The purpose of this evaluation was to conduct a systematic review of the public literature to explore how soybeans have been researched for pet food applications since 2000 and to provide strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats for soybeans in the pet food industry. The review covered a total of 44 articles related to soybean ingredients and their potential value in the pet food arena. The articles were categorized by their research contents and narratively summarized to demonstrate useful information to both pet and soybean industry. When soybean-based products have been adequately processed to reduce the antinutritive factors, they are comparable to processed animal proteins in nutritional value, palatability, and functionality in pet food processing. We conclude that various food processing technologies and the versatility of soybean ingredients allow soybean to have considerable inclusion potential in pet foods.
