WHOLE-BODY PROTEIN TURNOVER IN GOATS ENHANCED BY SUPPLEMENTING A DIET WITH RUMEN PROTECTED METHIONINE

Three experiments were conducted with female Japanese Saanen goats to investigate the effects of rumen protected methionine (RPMet) on N utilization and whole-body protein turnover. Whole-body leucine flux from which whole-body protein turnover rates were derived was measured by primed- continuous infusion of L-[$^{15}N$] leucine in combination with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Throughout the experiments RPMet was added to a diet to supply 1.5 g DL-methionine per goat per day. Irrespective of the major N sources (i.e., protein or urea) in the diet, both N deposition and whole-body protein synthesis were increased (p<0.05), and urinary N excretion was decreased (p<0.05) by supplementing with RPMet, but not by supplementing with methionine. It was concluded, therefore, that under the present experimental conditions, the RPMet supplement was efficiently bypassed to result in enhanced body protein synthesis of the goat.