Application of Digestible Amino Acid Values ​​in Dietary Formulation

However, in cases where proteins are overheated or thermally degraded, amino acids may be excreted in the urine as metabolites, leading to miscalculation of digestibility [66], [143].

Research in the field of amino acid digestibility has increased rapidly since the development of the fasting assay in North America and Europe [128], [211]. In this method, adult male chickens are fasted for 24–48 h. A quantity of the experimental feed (typically 30–50 g) is then administered directly into the crop. Over the next 48 h, all fecal matter is collected and quantified. Endogenous amino acid concentrations are determined from the feces of fasted chickens or chickens fed a nitrogen-free diet [128], [211]. Fecal-based assessments of amino acid digestibility have been criticized due to the effects of hindgut microorganisms on the utilization of dietary protein and the contribution of microbial proteins to the amount of amino acids excreted in feces [34]. Although the presence of microorganisms in the caecum and large intestine of poultry has been demonstrated, the actual impact of this microflora on protein nutrition remains unclear [184]. Microbial activity in the caecum may alter the amino acid composition of the waste, which may influence the calculated digestibility values ​​based on waste analysis. Several studies have described the role of the caecum in determining digestibility. Nitsan and Alumot (1963) provided evidence of proteolytic activity by caecal microorganisms [156]. Later, Isshiki et al. (1974) showed that caecal contents can hydrolyze proteins [101]. Payne et al. (1971) also showed that the apparent digestibility of many amino acids in fish meal was significantly reduced, especially threonine, when caecal-resected chickens were tested [171]. According to Parson et al. (1982), amino acids metabolized by microorganisms can affect the microbial protein content of waste and this protein can account for up to 25% of the total protein of waste [168]. Therefore, the use of cecum-resected chickens is now widely accepted in studies evaluating amino acid digestibility by waste analysis because it overcomes the influence of microorganisms in

cecum [82], [104], [106], [167].

Ileal digestion

Payne et al. (1968) were the first group to suggest that ileal fluid analysis was a more reliable method for assessing protein and amino acid digestibility than faeces analysis [170]. Several studies have been conducted to compare faeces analysis and ileal fluid analysis in assessing amino acid digestibility in a variety of feeds such as corn, sorghum, wheat, soybean meal, rapeseed meal, meat and bone meal, fish meal, feather meal, etc. [88], [191], [192]. The differences between ileal and total digestibility in these studies indicate that amino acid metabolism by the large intestinal microflora of chickens occurs and that amino acid digestibility determined in the terminal ileum is more accurate than that determined in faeces [184]. The method of determining amino acid digestibility through ileal fluid analysis has the advantage of being applied to ad libitum feeding regimes and can use poultry of different ages [76].

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To assess the ileal digestibility, indigestible indicators were added to the diet. Many substances have been used as indicators in digestion experiments, the most common of which are Cr 2 O 3 and AIA. The use of indicators in nutritional studies was summarized and published by Kotb and Luckey (1972) [116].

Ileal digestion can be assessed in two ways, depending on the ileal fluid collection technique. The simplest method for collecting ileal fluid is to kill the birds; the second method is to use a cannula inserted into the mid-ileum [177], [232]. In previous studies, chickens were killed by neck dislocation. However, this method has been criticized because it increases the endogenous protein content due to the shedding of mucosal cells into the intestinal tract at the time of slaughter [184]. Currently, chemical killing of poultry (such as pentobarbitone sodium) is commonly used because this method reduces intestinal motility and mucosal shedding to a minimum compared to traditional slaughter techniques [19].

Application of Digestible Amino Acid Values ​​in Dietary Formulation

To overcome the disadvantages in poultry slaughtering, the ileal cannula placement method has been used by some researchers [84], [177]. Comparing the slaughtering technique (by anesthesia) with the cannula placement technique, Johns et al. (1986b)

showed that ileal digestibility of most amino acids determined in cannulated roosters was significantly lower than that determined in stunning grown chickens, with the exception of arginine and glutamic acid [105]. However, the use of ileal cannulation is limited by problems associated with cannula removal, fluctuations in digestive fluid flow, and the need for appropriate markers [184]. In addition, Tanksley et al. (1981) suggested that physiological changes to the intestine caused by cannulation may interfere with normal physiological processes in the animal [229]. In addition, digestibility values ​​determined by cannulation in adult chickens may not reflect digestion in rapidly growing broilers [32], [74]. Therefore, slaughtering poultry and collecting ileal fluid to assess amino acid digestion is the most commonly chosen method [114], [189].

Methods for determining endogenous amino acids include the classical method, the peptide feeding technique combined with ultrafiltration, the isotopic marker technique, and the homoarginine technique. The classical methods used for determining endogenous amino acids include the nitrogen-free diet method, the regression method, and the starvation method. In the former method, experimental animals are fed a nitrogen-free diet; the faeces are used to assess the amino acid content. In the regression method, experimental animals are fed diets in which the experimental feed has increasing content. The amino acid content is then analyzed in the faeces or ileal fluid. Endogenous amino acid losses are estimated by extrapolating the regression line to zero amino acid intake. In the starvation method, experimental roosters are fasted for 24-48 hours, and then the faeces are collected to assess the amino acid content. The starvation method is one of the classical methods used in many studies to estimate the basic endogenous amino acids in poultry. The above techniques have been performed by many research groups on poultry [25], [74], [162], [224].

Yamazaki's (1983) study comparing starvation and nitrogen-free diets showed that endogenous amino acid excretion was similar in both methods [254]. In contrast, Muztar and Slinger's (1980) study showed that endogenous amino acids should be determined in birds fed nitrogen-free diets, not in fasted chickens [152]. According to Nasset (1965), nitrogen-free diets provide a suitable stimulus to the gastrointestinal tract for the secretion of endogenous proteins [154]. However, these techniques have been criticized because during starvation or when there is no protein in the diet, the body is in a negative nitrogen balance and the rate of whole-body protein synthesis is rapidly reduced. This may affect the influx of proteins into the intestine [184]. According to Low (1990), the use of nitrogen-free diets is not appropriate because the absence of protein in the diet causes very large changes in metabolism and the animal is no longer in a normal physiological state [134]. For these reasons, the correction of digestibility based on classical methods will result in a decrease in the true digestibility compared to reality [22]. Many studies have shown that endogenous amino acid losses vary depending on the protein source [219], dietary protein content [30], dietary fiber content [219] and the presence of anti-nutritional factors [16]. This suggests that the use of a single output value from classical methods to correct for endogenous losses is unreliable for different feeds [184].

With the regression analysis method, a regression equation is used to calculate the endogenous amino acid content at zero of the protein intake. However, this also leads to large errors in the estimation results, especially in cases where the minimum data point and the theoretical zero point of intake are far apart [184]. In addition, the technical complexity as well as the estimation of digestibility are the reasons why this method is not widely accepted, although it has been used to determine the ileal digestibility of some feeds [197], [209].

The peptide feeding method combined with ultrafiltration is a method used to estimate the endogenous amino acid content in the ileum when animals are fed peptides (from enzymatically hydrolyzed casein - EHC), then

Ileal fluid is filtered through an ultrafiltration system [150]. In this method, a semi-synthetic diet containing EHC is fed as the sole protein source to the animals. Ileal fluid is collected and nitrogen fractions are separated by centrifugation and ultrafiltration. Two main fractions are separated: a high molecular weight fraction (>10,000 Da) used to assess endogenous amino acids; a low molecular weight fraction containing unabsorbed dietary amino acids and small peptides, non-protein nitrogen, and low concentrations of endogenous free amino acids [184]. Although not as subject to criticism as classical methods, this method can only be used to correct ileal digestion of protein sources that do not contain fiber and/or antinutritional factors, such as animal protein meals [53]. This technique may also give an underestimate of endogenous amino acids because some endogenous free amino acids and small endogenous peptides may be removed in the low molecular weight fraction [36], [123].

The technique of using isotopic markers has been used in many studies to determine the content of endogenous amino acids over the years. The isotopes used in this technique include stable isotopes ( 15 N) and radioactive isotopes ( 14 C, 35 S, 75 Se). The 15 N isotope dilution technique of Souffrant et al. (1982, tdt [184]) has been used by many research groups to distinguish endogenous proteins from undigested dietary proteins [48], [199]. The results of the above research groups showed that the content of endogenous proteins in ileal fluid determined by the isotope dilution technique was higher than the results obtained when using nitrogen-free diets.

Despite the interest of nutritionists, this method has several limitations. The enrichment of 15N in endogenous secretions for analysis is not easy. In addition, the inability to assess all amino acids recovered in the ileal fluid ([48], [126]) and the recovery of precursor pools [124] are also disadvantages of this technique. Standardization of conditions such as feeding frequency, diet type, tracer transfer rate and protocol, sampling technique, sample handling, and selection of precursor pools is essential for comparison of data.

for high reliability [73].

The homoarginine method is a technique developed by Hagemeister and Erbersdobler in 1985 [184]. This method uses homoarginine as a marker to determine the content of endogenous amino acids. The residual lysine in the feed protein is converted to homoarginine by guanidine treatment with O-methylisourea in an alkaline medium [138]. After animals are fed the labeled protein, the content of endogenous amino acids is determined by comparing the amino acid: homoarginine ratio in the diet and in the ileal fluid. Homoarginine is not present in common feeds [179]. Although homoarginine is digested and absorbed like other amino acids, it does not reappear in the endogenous intestinal secretions [218]. Due to these properties, the homoarginine technique has important advantages over isotopic labeling techniques. The homoarginine method has been used to determine endogenous amino acid content and estimate amino acid digestibility in poultry [16], [17], [218].

Recently, a group of poultry nutritionists completed a number of studies quantifying endogenous amino acid losses in broilers and turkeys during the first 3 weeks of life to establish a baseline for correcting ileal digestible amino acid values. Although the optimal baseline endogenous correction values ​​were not determined, these studies indicated that the use of a protein-free diet was best because it resulted in a lower baseline endogenous correction than did a casein-based diet [20].

Method of assessing apparent ileal digestibility

The apparent digestibility of amino acids in a feed can be assessed by methods such as the direct method, the difference method, and the regression method. In the direct method, the experimental diet is formulated on the principle that the experimental feed is the sole source of protein in the diet. In the case of cereals, 1 kg of the experimental diet usually contains 918 g of experimental feed, 20 g of vegetable oil, and 42 g of mineral and vitamin supplements. In the case of protein powder, dextrose is added to adjust the total protein content of the diet to about 16-20%. Inorganic calcium and phosphorus supplements are given.

in the diets if the experimental feed is a source of vegetable protein, blood meal and feather meal. Feeds such as fish meal, meat meal and meat and bone meal contain high levels of calcium and phosphorus, so inorganic calcium and phosphorus supplements will not be included in the experimental diet. For experimental feeds of animal protein, Solkafloc or pulp is added to the diet at a rate of 30 g/kg to increase the fiber content in the diet. In addition, vitamins and trace minerals, indigestible indicators such as Cr 2 O 3 , AIA and TiO 2 are also added to the diet. Digestible carbohydrates such as dextrose and vegetable oils are sources of energy in the diet [32], [190].

The difference method is based on the assumption that there is no interaction between the basal diet and the test feed. In the difference method, two diets are used in the digestibility test, including the basal diet and the test diet. The basal diet contains the basic feed ingredients. The test diet is formulated by replacing a portion of the basal diet with the test feed (usually a 50 : 50 ratio). The digestibility of the test feed is calculated based on the difference in digestibility of the two diets and the ratio of each amino acid in the diets [153].

The third method used to evaluate amino acid digestibility is the regression method. In this method, chickens are fed diets with increasing concentrations of the experimental feed (usually four concentration levels). The ileal digestibility of each diet is calculated separately. Then, the ileal amino acid digestibility of the experimental feed is calculated by linear regression [197].

The minimum digestibility test should be performed in four replicates. The number of birds in each replicate depends on the age and the amount of digesta to be collected. Typically, the amino acid digestibility test in poultry is performed on chickens aged 35–42 days [32]. The birds are fed the experimental diets for at least three days before ileal fluid collection [32], [190]. To minimize the impact of intestinal motility, a slaughter method using sodium pentobarbitone injection is often used. Digestive fluid from the distal half of the ileum is collected with distilled water to avoid stripping the intestinal mucosa as is the case with hand pressing [190].

1.4. Application of digestible amino acid values ​​in diet formulation

Digestible amino acid values ​​are gaining interest as a basis for poultry diet formulation. The major advantage of formulating diets based on digestible amino acids is that it is possible to increase the proportion of alternative ingredients, especially low-quality protein sources, in poultry diets [32]. This will allow for a wider range of ingredients to be used in the diet while maintaining growth [33].

In the past, attempts to partially replace soybean meal with poorly digestible feedstuffs in broiler diets have resulted in lower growth than expected because the substitutions often did not take into account the low amino acid digestibility of these feedstuffs. However, many studies have now shown the beneficial effects of using digestible amino acids in poultry diet formulation on increasing the proportion of poorly digestible feedstuffs, such as cottonseed meal, rapeseed meal and meat and bone meal [67], [188], [182], [183], [249].

The application of digestible amino acid values ​​in diet formulation can be done by several methods [168]. The methods differ mainly in the degree to which the feed ingredient/requirement matrix is ​​modified [168]. The most comprehensive method is to convert total amino acid requirements into digestible amino acid requirements. Parsons (1991) reviewed 28 published studies on lysine and total sulfur amino acid requirements for broilers, turkeys, and laying hens and concluded that digestible amino acid requirements are 8% to 10% lower than total amino acid requirements [167].

Another less used method is to accept the amino acid values ​​for corn and soybean meal and the amino acid requirements as total content; and to change the total content values ​​in the grain feeds and protein-rich ingredients relative to corn and soybean meal based on relative digestibility [168]. Thus, in this method, corn and soybean meal are the reference values ​​[168]. The advantage of this method is that there is less variation in the feed matrix [168]. However, this method has 2

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