True Metabolisable Energy and True Amino Acid Availability in Chinese Varieties of Dehulled and Hulled Soybean Meals Determined with Adult Roosters

Studies were conducted with intact White Leghorn roosters to determine the true metabolisable energy (TME) and the true amino acid availability (TAAA) in five dehulled and hulled soybean meals produced in China. 60 roosters, kept in individual cages, were fasted for 48 h and then tube-fed 50 g of one of experimental feedstuffs and their excreta was then collected for the subsequent 48 h period. Two separate collection periods were used with each meal being fed to 12 roosters. The birds were given a 15-day recovery period between collection periods. An additional 12 roosters were either fasted or fed a protein-free diet in order to estimate the extent of endogenous losses of energy and amino acids in excreta. The average values per bird for nitrogen loss, endogenous energy losses (EEL) and endogenous energy losses corrected to zero-nitrogen balance ($EEL_n$) were found to be 0.74 g, 47.0 kJ and 21.5 kJ, respectively. It was found that the TME and TAAA values of dehulled soybean meal were higher than those of hulled soybean meal. The TME and nitrogen-corrected TME metabolisable energy values of dehulled soybean meal were 10.58 and 10.74 MJ/kg, respectively, while the corresponding values for hulled soybean meal were 10.03 and 10.27 MJ/kg, respectively. The average indispensable and dispensable amino acid availability of dehulled soybean meal was 92.1 and 93.5%, compared with 89.3 and 91.4% for hulled soybean meal. Dehulled soybean meal would therefore appear to be superior to hulled soybean meal as a source of protein and energy for use in poultry rations.