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Sources of Xanthophyll for Pigmentation in Broilers1
INDICATORS OF STRESSOR AGENTS
istics and adrenal function in White Leghorns confined at different floor space levels. Poultry Sci. 38: 893-898. Siegel, H. S., 1960. Effect of population density on the pituitary-adrenal cortical axis of cockerels. Poultry Sci. 39: 500-510. Siegel, H. S., and W. L. Beane, 1961. Time responses to single intramuscular doses of ACTH in chickens. Poultry Sci. 40: 216-219. Zarrow, M. X., and I. G. Zarrow, 1950. Ascorbic acid in the adrenal gland of the duck. Anat. Record, 108: 600-601. Zarrow, M. X., and J. F. Baldini, 1952. Failure of adrenocorticotropic and various stimuli to deplete the ascorbic acid content of the adrenal gland of the quail. Endocrinol. 50: 555-561.
Sources of Xanthophyll for Pigmentation in Broilers1 ROBERT G. RATCLIFF, ELBERT J. DAY, CLARENCE 0. GROGAN2 AND JAMES E. HILL Department of Poultry Husbandry, Mississippi State University, State College, Mississippi (Received for publication February 20, 1962)
A N INCREASED interest in pigmenta-**• tation has occurred as evidenced by the numerous recent papers concerning this subject (Anjaneylu et al., 1961; Farr et al., 1961; Mitchell et al, 1961; Morehouse, 1961; Wheeler and Turk, 1961; Tarver, 1961; Couch, 1961; Ratcliff et al., 1961; Hastings, 1961; and Williams, 1962). Research work has centered around (1) finding new sources of xanthophyll, (2) enhancement of utilization of xanthophyll, (3) determining relative pigmenting values of feedstuffs and (4) egg yolk pigmentation. Pigmentation problem with broilers appears to be less acute than formerly, except in certain areas. The greatest problem today is with eggs being produced for 'Mississippi Agricultural Experiment Station Journal Article no. 1005. 2 Agronomist, U. S. Department of Agriculture, A.R.S., and Mississippi State University.
breakout operations where uniform deep colored egg yolks are desired, but have been difficult to obtain through the use of natural ingredients which furnish xanthophyll. Dietary levels of IS to 25% of high quality alfalfa leaf meal were found to be necessary to produce intense yolk pigmentation, NEPA 5 to 8 color indexes (Couch, 1961). However, due to its low energy and high fiber content, performance might be adversely affected at these levels. Also, several commercial xanthophyll concentrates have been found to be effective, but have not been economical to use. Therefore, the answer might be in selecting feedstuffs that have high xanthophyll content. The present study was concerned with a comparison of strains of yellow corn, selected for high xanthophyll content, with regular yellow corn and clover meal versus alfalfa meal as sources of xanthophyll in broiler rations.
Downloaded from http://ps.oxfordjournals.org/ at D H Hill Library - Acquis S on April 9, 2015
Sayers, G., M. A. Sayers, H. L. Lewis and C. N. H. Long, 1944. Effect of adrenotropic hormone on ascorbic acid and cholesterol content of the adrenal. Proc. Soc. Exp. Biol. Med. 55: 238-239. Sayers, G., M. A. Sayers, T. Y. Liang and C. N. H. Long, 1945. The cholesterol and ascorbic acid content of the adrenal, liver, brain and plasma following hemorrhage. Endocrinol. 37; 96-110. Sayers, G., M. A. Sayers, T. Y. Liang and C. N. H. Long, 1946. The effect of pituitary adrenotrophic hormone on the cholesterol and ascorbic content of the adrenal of the rat and guinea pig. Endocrinol. 39: 1-9. Sayers, G., 1950. The adrenal and homeostasis. Physiol. Rev. 30: 241-320. Siegel, H. S., 1959. Egg production character-
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R. G. RATCLIFF, E. J. DAY, C. O. GROGAN AND J. E. HILL TABLE 1.—Composition of the basal ration Ingredient
Degerminated corn meal Soybean oil meal, 50% protein Fish meal, 60% protein Poultry byproducts meal, 55% protein Wheat shorts Vegetable oil (Wesson) Curaphos, 14% P; 32% Ca Limestone Salt Broiler premix1
56.43 24.74 3.50 2.50 8.26 2.00 1.77 0.25 0.30 0.25 100.00
Calculated analyses: Energy (prod. Cal./lb.) Crude protein, % C/P ratio
961.55 22.05 43.6
1 Premix furnished the following per pound of ration: vit. A, 1,500 I.U.; vit. D 3 , 500 I.C.U.; vit. E, 1.0 mg.; menadione sodium bisulfite, 1.0 mg. riboflavin, 2.0 mg.; d-pantothenic acid, 4.0 mg.; niacin, 12.5 mg.; vit. B I2 , 3.0 meg.; DL-methionine, 114.0 mg.; choline chloride, 170.0 mg.; zinc bacitracin, 2.0 mg.; ethoxyquin, 45.4 mg.; manganese, 34.0 mg.; idoine, 0.5 mg.; iron, 9.1 mg.; copper, 0.9 mg.; zinc, 10.0 mg.; and cobalt, 0.09 mg.
EXPERIMENTAL
Day-old broiler-type chicks were obtained from a commercial hatchery and randomly assigned to treatments (15 per group, replicated three times). The chicks were raised in electrically heated battery brooders until the end of the test period, four weeks. Group feed consumption records and individual body weight data were obtained at four weeks of age. Body weight data represent sex-corrected averages. Feed and water were supplied ad libitum. The xanthophyll content of dehydrated alfalfa meal (17% protein), dehydrated clover meal (20% protein) and the yellow corns was determined prior to the use of these feedstuffs.3 Four different samples of yellow corn were tested. One sample was designated regular yellow corn as obtained on the open market and the other three samples of corn were selected for high 3
U.S.D.A. Northern Regional Research Laboratory, Peoria, Illinois.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION The basal ration was modified to include two dietary levels of xanthophyll (3.0 and 5.5 mg./lb.) and fed to chicks as shown in Tables 2 and 3. Alfalfa meal, clover meal, regular yellow corn and three strains of yellow corn selected for their high xanthophyll content were used separately to furnish the dietary xanthophyll. 2 Poultry Science., 4416 ems., 0 chs., 3kb. mea.,fw TABLE 2.—The effect of dietary modifications on pigmentation and performance of broilers (4 wk. data)1 Treat. No
Modification of basal ration 2
1 2 3 4 S 6 7
None A.M., 4 51%« C M . , 4.03%« Reg. Y.C., 30.43% 5 Exp. Y . C (1), 16.46%* E x p . Y . C . (2), 17.51%' Exp. Y.C. (3), 18.70%=
X a n . Avg. level Feed (mg./ lb.) Gain 0 3.0 3.0 3.0 3.0 3.0 3.0
1.57 1.66 1.65 1.67 1.68 1.64 1.58
Avg.s Pigm.
Avg Effic. score 4
36.38? 65.48b 77.95° 91.46d 94.84 d 89.64 d 89.64d
12.19 13.89 16.75 17.76 17.47 16.33
1 Means which have the same exponential letter are not significantly different at the 1 percent level of probability according to Duncan's multiple range test. 2 See Table 1 for the composition of the 2basal ration. 3 Micrograms of xanthophyll per 100 cm , of toe web area. 4 Pigmentation value divided by the milligrams of xanthophyll intake. e Xanthophyll content of A.M. (alfalfa meal, 17% protein), CM. (clover meal, 20% protein), Reg. Y.C. (regular yellow corn) Exp. Y.C. No. 1, Exp. Y.C. No. 2, and Exp. Y. C. No. 3 was found by analyses (USDA) to contain 66.59, 74.54, 9.86, 18.23, 17.14, and 16.86 milligrams per pound, respectively.
Downloaded from http://ps.oxfordjournals.org/ at D H Hill Library - Acquis S on April 9, 2015
Total, %
xanthophyll content and designated as experimental corn numbers 1, 2 and 3. The composition of the basal ration is shown in Table 1. The experimental rations were formulated by substituting the test material as follows: alfalfa meal and clover meal were substituted at the expense of wheat shorts, and the yellow corns were substituted at the expense of degerminated corn meal. Pigmentation was determined by the method as used by Ratcliff et al. (1959). Statistical examination of the pigmentation data was made by the analysis of variance according to Snedecor (1956) with significant treatment differences determined using Duncan's multiple range test (1955).
XANTHOPHYLL FOR PIGMENTATION TABLE 3.—The ejject of dietary modifications on pigmentation and performance of broilers (4 wk. data)1 Treat. No.
Modification of basal ration
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
None A.M., 8.26% C M . , 7.38% Reg. Y.C., 55.80% Exp. Y.C. (1), 30.20% Exp. Y.C. (2), 32.10% Exp. Y.C. (3), 32.65%
1
level Feed (mg./ lb.) Gain 0 5.5 5.S 5.5 5.5 5.5 5.S
1.S7 1.68 1.67 1.76 1.56 1.58 1.62
Avg. Pigm.
T?fnr • score
36.38a 96.66 1 ' 113.03° 128.62 d 129.92 d 129.92 d 129.92 d
— 9.66 11.68 12.57 12.56 12.49 12.49
See footnotes Table 2.
station that clover meal significantly produced greater pigmentation in broilers than alfalfa meal when used to supply comparable dietary xanthophyll levels (Ratcliff et al., 1961). It is of interest to note that after 18 months of storage, at ambient temperatures and without an antioxidant, the clover meal had lost approximately 67% of its xanthophyll content. However, it still analysed higher in xanthophyll content than alfalfa meal . and produced significantly greater pigmentation when furnishing comparable dietary xanthophyll levels. By combining the pigmentation data from the two dietary levels of xanthophyll, the xanthophyll in the clover meal was found to be 86.4% available as that of yellow corn and the xanthophyll in the alfalfa meal was 73.8% available as that of yellow corn. In a previous study (Ratcliff et al., 1959), a much lower relative biological availability value was found for alfalfa meal. This lack of agreement between relative availability values for the same feedstuff is thought to be due to the fact that the chemical assays for xanthophyll in yellow corn were yielding low results during the earlier study. The relatively high biological values for the xanthophyll in yellow corn, as found in the present study, suggests that either the present method of analysis for xanthophyll (s) was not yielding complete extraction or the xanthophylls that are present in yellow corn are different from those found in other feedstuffs. Williams (1960) reported that the principal xanthophylls in yellow corn (zeaxanthin) and alfalfa meal (lutein) when fed in purified form were equally well utilized by laying hens. However, when yellow corn was used as the pigment source, the xanthophyll was found to be more efficiently utilized than that furnished by alfalfa meal. From these data he suggested that the difference in xanthophyll utilization between these two feed-
Downloaded from http://ps.oxfordjournals.org/ at D H Hill Library - Acquis S on April 9, 2015
Within each dietary xanthophyll level, no significant difference in pigmentation was found among the groups fed rations containing yellow corn as the pigment source. However, the yellow corns produced significantly (P < .01) greater pigmentation that that obtained by a comparable dietary xanthophyll level furnished by clover meal or alfalfa meal, with the xanthophyll of clover meal producing significantly (P < .01) greater pigmentation than the xanthophyll of alfalfa meal. Although there were no significant differences in pigmentation between the yellow corns, it required approximately 50% less of the high-xanthophyll strains of corn as compared to regular yellow corn to furnish comparable dietary xanthophyll levels. Also, the broilers were fairly well pigmented when yellow corn supplied 5.5 milligrams of xanthophyll per pound of ration. These results are in agreement with previous reports where it was found that 6 to 8 milligrams of xanthophyll per pound of ration was adequate for broiler pigmentation as long as yellow corn furnished most of the xanthophyll (Day and Williams, 1958; Ratcliff et al., 1959). It is quite evident that these strains of corn could serve as the sole source of pigments in broiler rations since they would furnish approximately 10 milligrams of xanthophyll per pound of feed if corn constituted 60% of the ration. It had been reported previously from this
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R. G. RATCLIFF, E. J. DAY, C. O. GROGAN AND J. E. HILL
stuffs may be due to the fact that corn contains a relatively high level of cryptoxanthin, whereas alfalfa meal does not. From the efficiency scores presented in Tables 2 and 3 it can be seen that xanthophyll was more efficiently utilized for pigmentation at low dietary levels (3.0 mg./ lb.) than at high dietary levels (5.5 mg./ lb.). Since there were no differences in body weight due to treatments the body weight data was omitted from the tables.
APRIL 22-24. ANNUAL MEETING, POULTRY AND EGG NATIONAL BOARD, HOTEL HILLSBORO, TAMPA, FLORIDA
Downloaded from http://ps.oxfordjournals.org/ at D H Hill Library - Acquis S on April 9, 2015
SUMMARY
A four week battery study with broilertype chicks was conducted to determine the relative pigmenting value of three strains of high-xanthophyll corn, regular yellow corn, clover meal and alfalfa meal when these feedstuffs supplied two comparable dietary xanthophyll levels. The xanthophyll in all of the yellow corns was found to be equally available for carotenoid deposition in broilers. Although there were no significant differences in pigmentation between the corns, it required approximately 50% less of the high-xanthophyll strains to furnish comparable dietary xanthophyll levels as regular corn. It is evident that these strains of corn could serve as the only source of xanthophyll in broiler rations. The yellow corns produced significantly greater pigmentation than that obtained by a comparable dietary xanthophyll level furnished by clover meal or alfalfa meal, with the xanthophyll of clover meal producing significantly greater pigmentation than alfalfa meal. The xanthophyll from clover meal was found to be 86.4% available as that of yellow corn and the xanthophyll of alfalfa meal was 73.8% as available as that of yellow corn.
REFERENCES Anjaneylu, Y. V., A. A. Kurnick and B. L. Reid, 1961. Egg yolk pigmentation—effect of ethoxyquin. Poultry Sci. 40: 1372. Couch, J. R., 1961. Egg yolk pigmentation. Proceedings of the Texas Nutrition Conference: 126-128. Day, E. J., and W. P. Williams, Jr., 1958. A study of certain factors that influence pigmentation in broilers. Poultry Sci. 37: 1373-1381. Duncan, D. B., 1955. Multiple range and F tests. Biometrics, 11. 1-42. Farr, F. M., B. J. Hulett, R. E. Davies and J. R. Couch, 1961. Alteration of egg yolk color by diet. Poultry Sci. 40: 1401. Hastings, W. H., 1961. Research on the use of pigmenters. Feedstuffs, 33(46): 30-35. Mitchell, R. P., Jr., J. K. Bletner and R. L. Tugwell, 1961. Factors affecting the xanthophyll pigment in chicks. Poultry Sci. 40: 143-2. Morehouse, A. L., 1961. Dried algae meal as a source of xanthophyll for egg yolk pigmentation. Poultry Sci. 40: 1432. . Ratcliff, R. G„ E. J. Day and J. E. Hill, 1959. Broiler pigmentation as influenced by dietary modifications. Poultry Sci. 38: 1039-1048. Ratcliff, R. G., E. J. Day and J. E. Hill, 1961. Comparison of two antioxidants and two sources of xanthophyll in a pigmentation study with broilers. Poultry Sci. 40: 716-720. Snedecor, G. W., 1956. Statistical Methods. Iowa State College Press, Ames, Iowa. Tarver, F. R., Jr., 1961. The influence of yolk color intensity upon yolk shadow values, albumen quality and yolk color index—deposition and color intensity of abdominal fat of pullet carcasses. Poultry Sci. 40: 987-991. Wheeler, H. O., and D. E. Turk, 1961. A comparison of dehydrated coastal bermuda grass and alfalfa meal as a source of carotene and xanthophyll pigments in chick rations. Poultry Sci. 40: 1468. Williams, W. P., 1960. A study of factors influencing the utilization of carotenoid pigments by poultry; Ph.D. Dissertation, Texas A & M College. Williams, W. P., 1962. Broiler pigmentation. Feedstuffs, 34(4) : 34-35, 52-54.
istics and adrenal function in White Leghorns confined at different floor space levels. Poultry Sci. 38: 893-898. Siegel, H. S., 1960. Effect of population density on the pituitary-adrenal cortical axis of cockerels. Poultry Sci. 39: 500-510. Siegel, H. S., and W. L. Beane, 1961. Time responses to single intramuscular doses of ACTH in chickens. Poultry Sci. 40: 216-219. Zarrow, M. X., and I. G. Zarrow, 1950. Ascorbic acid in the adrenal gland of the duck. Anat. Record, 108: 600-601. Zarrow, M. X., and J. F. Baldini, 1952. Failure of adrenocorticotropic and various stimuli to deplete the ascorbic acid content of the adrenal gland of the quail. Endocrinol. 50: 555-561.
Sources of Xanthophyll for Pigmentation in Broilers1 ROBERT G. RATCLIFF, ELBERT J. DAY, CLARENCE 0. GROGAN2 AND JAMES E. HILL Department of Poultry Husbandry, Mississippi State University, State College, Mississippi (Received for publication February 20, 1962)
A N INCREASED interest in pigmenta-**• tation has occurred as evidenced by the numerous recent papers concerning this subject (Anjaneylu et al., 1961; Farr et al., 1961; Mitchell et al, 1961; Morehouse, 1961; Wheeler and Turk, 1961; Tarver, 1961; Couch, 1961; Ratcliff et al., 1961; Hastings, 1961; and Williams, 1962). Research work has centered around (1) finding new sources of xanthophyll, (2) enhancement of utilization of xanthophyll, (3) determining relative pigmenting values of feedstuffs and (4) egg yolk pigmentation. Pigmentation problem with broilers appears to be less acute than formerly, except in certain areas. The greatest problem today is with eggs being produced for 'Mississippi Agricultural Experiment Station Journal Article no. 1005. 2 Agronomist, U. S. Department of Agriculture, A.R.S., and Mississippi State University.
breakout operations where uniform deep colored egg yolks are desired, but have been difficult to obtain through the use of natural ingredients which furnish xanthophyll. Dietary levels of IS to 25% of high quality alfalfa leaf meal were found to be necessary to produce intense yolk pigmentation, NEPA 5 to 8 color indexes (Couch, 1961). However, due to its low energy and high fiber content, performance might be adversely affected at these levels. Also, several commercial xanthophyll concentrates have been found to be effective, but have not been economical to use. Therefore, the answer might be in selecting feedstuffs that have high xanthophyll content. The present study was concerned with a comparison of strains of yellow corn, selected for high xanthophyll content, with regular yellow corn and clover meal versus alfalfa meal as sources of xanthophyll in broiler rations.
Downloaded from http://ps.oxfordjournals.org/ at D H Hill Library - Acquis S on April 9, 2015
Sayers, G., M. A. Sayers, H. L. Lewis and C. N. H. Long, 1944. Effect of adrenotropic hormone on ascorbic acid and cholesterol content of the adrenal. Proc. Soc. Exp. Biol. Med. 55: 238-239. Sayers, G., M. A. Sayers, T. Y. Liang and C. N. H. Long, 1945. The cholesterol and ascorbic acid content of the adrenal, liver, brain and plasma following hemorrhage. Endocrinol. 37; 96-110. Sayers, G., M. A. Sayers, T. Y. Liang and C. N. H. Long, 1946. The effect of pituitary adrenotrophic hormone on the cholesterol and ascorbic content of the adrenal of the rat and guinea pig. Endocrinol. 39: 1-9. Sayers, G., 1950. The adrenal and homeostasis. Physiol. Rev. 30: 241-320. Siegel, H. S., 1959. Egg production character-
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1530
R. G. RATCLIFF, E. J. DAY, C. O. GROGAN AND J. E. HILL TABLE 1.—Composition of the basal ration Ingredient
Degerminated corn meal Soybean oil meal, 50% protein Fish meal, 60% protein Poultry byproducts meal, 55% protein Wheat shorts Vegetable oil (Wesson) Curaphos, 14% P; 32% Ca Limestone Salt Broiler premix1
56.43 24.74 3.50 2.50 8.26 2.00 1.77 0.25 0.30 0.25 100.00
Calculated analyses: Energy (prod. Cal./lb.) Crude protein, % C/P ratio
961.55 22.05 43.6
1 Premix furnished the following per pound of ration: vit. A, 1,500 I.U.; vit. D 3 , 500 I.C.U.; vit. E, 1.0 mg.; menadione sodium bisulfite, 1.0 mg. riboflavin, 2.0 mg.; d-pantothenic acid, 4.0 mg.; niacin, 12.5 mg.; vit. B I2 , 3.0 meg.; DL-methionine, 114.0 mg.; choline chloride, 170.0 mg.; zinc bacitracin, 2.0 mg.; ethoxyquin, 45.4 mg.; manganese, 34.0 mg.; idoine, 0.5 mg.; iron, 9.1 mg.; copper, 0.9 mg.; zinc, 10.0 mg.; and cobalt, 0.09 mg.
EXPERIMENTAL
Day-old broiler-type chicks were obtained from a commercial hatchery and randomly assigned to treatments (15 per group, replicated three times). The chicks were raised in electrically heated battery brooders until the end of the test period, four weeks. Group feed consumption records and individual body weight data were obtained at four weeks of age. Body weight data represent sex-corrected averages. Feed and water were supplied ad libitum. The xanthophyll content of dehydrated alfalfa meal (17% protein), dehydrated clover meal (20% protein) and the yellow corns was determined prior to the use of these feedstuffs.3 Four different samples of yellow corn were tested. One sample was designated regular yellow corn as obtained on the open market and the other three samples of corn were selected for high 3
U.S.D.A. Northern Regional Research Laboratory, Peoria, Illinois.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION The basal ration was modified to include two dietary levels of xanthophyll (3.0 and 5.5 mg./lb.) and fed to chicks as shown in Tables 2 and 3. Alfalfa meal, clover meal, regular yellow corn and three strains of yellow corn selected for their high xanthophyll content were used separately to furnish the dietary xanthophyll. 2 Poultry Science., 4416 ems., 0 chs., 3kb. mea.,fw TABLE 2.—The effect of dietary modifications on pigmentation and performance of broilers (4 wk. data)1 Treat. No
Modification of basal ration 2
1 2 3 4 S 6 7
None A.M., 4 51%« C M . , 4.03%« Reg. Y.C., 30.43% 5 Exp. Y . C (1), 16.46%* E x p . Y . C . (2), 17.51%' Exp. Y.C. (3), 18.70%=
X a n . Avg. level Feed (mg./ lb.) Gain 0 3.0 3.0 3.0 3.0 3.0 3.0
1.57 1.66 1.65 1.67 1.68 1.64 1.58
Avg.s Pigm.
Avg Effic. score 4
36.38? 65.48b 77.95° 91.46d 94.84 d 89.64 d 89.64d
12.19 13.89 16.75 17.76 17.47 16.33
1 Means which have the same exponential letter are not significantly different at the 1 percent level of probability according to Duncan's multiple range test. 2 See Table 1 for the composition of the 2basal ration. 3 Micrograms of xanthophyll per 100 cm , of toe web area. 4 Pigmentation value divided by the milligrams of xanthophyll intake. e Xanthophyll content of A.M. (alfalfa meal, 17% protein), CM. (clover meal, 20% protein), Reg. Y.C. (regular yellow corn) Exp. Y.C. No. 1, Exp. Y.C. No. 2, and Exp. Y. C. No. 3 was found by analyses (USDA) to contain 66.59, 74.54, 9.86, 18.23, 17.14, and 16.86 milligrams per pound, respectively.
Downloaded from http://ps.oxfordjournals.org/ at D H Hill Library - Acquis S on April 9, 2015
Total, %
xanthophyll content and designated as experimental corn numbers 1, 2 and 3. The composition of the basal ration is shown in Table 1. The experimental rations were formulated by substituting the test material as follows: alfalfa meal and clover meal were substituted at the expense of wheat shorts, and the yellow corns were substituted at the expense of degerminated corn meal. Pigmentation was determined by the method as used by Ratcliff et al. (1959). Statistical examination of the pigmentation data was made by the analysis of variance according to Snedecor (1956) with significant treatment differences determined using Duncan's multiple range test (1955).
XANTHOPHYLL FOR PIGMENTATION TABLE 3.—The ejject of dietary modifications on pigmentation and performance of broilers (4 wk. data)1 Treat. No.
Modification of basal ration
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
None A.M., 8.26% C M . , 7.38% Reg. Y.C., 55.80% Exp. Y.C. (1), 30.20% Exp. Y.C. (2), 32.10% Exp. Y.C. (3), 32.65%
1
level Feed (mg./ lb.) Gain 0 5.5 5.S 5.5 5.5 5.5 5.S
1.S7 1.68 1.67 1.76 1.56 1.58 1.62
Avg. Pigm.
T?fnr • score
36.38a 96.66 1 ' 113.03° 128.62 d 129.92 d 129.92 d 129.92 d
— 9.66 11.68 12.57 12.56 12.49 12.49
See footnotes Table 2.
station that clover meal significantly produced greater pigmentation in broilers than alfalfa meal when used to supply comparable dietary xanthophyll levels (Ratcliff et al., 1961). It is of interest to note that after 18 months of storage, at ambient temperatures and without an antioxidant, the clover meal had lost approximately 67% of its xanthophyll content. However, it still analysed higher in xanthophyll content than alfalfa meal . and produced significantly greater pigmentation when furnishing comparable dietary xanthophyll levels. By combining the pigmentation data from the two dietary levels of xanthophyll, the xanthophyll in the clover meal was found to be 86.4% available as that of yellow corn and the xanthophyll in the alfalfa meal was 73.8% available as that of yellow corn. In a previous study (Ratcliff et al., 1959), a much lower relative biological availability value was found for alfalfa meal. This lack of agreement between relative availability values for the same feedstuff is thought to be due to the fact that the chemical assays for xanthophyll in yellow corn were yielding low results during the earlier study. The relatively high biological values for the xanthophyll in yellow corn, as found in the present study, suggests that either the present method of analysis for xanthophyll (s) was not yielding complete extraction or the xanthophylls that are present in yellow corn are different from those found in other feedstuffs. Williams (1960) reported that the principal xanthophylls in yellow corn (zeaxanthin) and alfalfa meal (lutein) when fed in purified form were equally well utilized by laying hens. However, when yellow corn was used as the pigment source, the xanthophyll was found to be more efficiently utilized than that furnished by alfalfa meal. From these data he suggested that the difference in xanthophyll utilization between these two feed-
Downloaded from http://ps.oxfordjournals.org/ at D H Hill Library - Acquis S on April 9, 2015
Within each dietary xanthophyll level, no significant difference in pigmentation was found among the groups fed rations containing yellow corn as the pigment source. However, the yellow corns produced significantly (P < .01) greater pigmentation that that obtained by a comparable dietary xanthophyll level furnished by clover meal or alfalfa meal, with the xanthophyll of clover meal producing significantly (P < .01) greater pigmentation than the xanthophyll of alfalfa meal. Although there were no significant differences in pigmentation between the yellow corns, it required approximately 50% less of the high-xanthophyll strains of corn as compared to regular yellow corn to furnish comparable dietary xanthophyll levels. Also, the broilers were fairly well pigmented when yellow corn supplied 5.5 milligrams of xanthophyll per pound of ration. These results are in agreement with previous reports where it was found that 6 to 8 milligrams of xanthophyll per pound of ration was adequate for broiler pigmentation as long as yellow corn furnished most of the xanthophyll (Day and Williams, 1958; Ratcliff et al., 1959). It is quite evident that these strains of corn could serve as the sole source of pigments in broiler rations since they would furnish approximately 10 milligrams of xanthophyll per pound of feed if corn constituted 60% of the ration. It had been reported previously from this
1531
1532
R. G. RATCLIFF, E. J. DAY, C. O. GROGAN AND J. E. HILL
stuffs may be due to the fact that corn contains a relatively high level of cryptoxanthin, whereas alfalfa meal does not. From the efficiency scores presented in Tables 2 and 3 it can be seen that xanthophyll was more efficiently utilized for pigmentation at low dietary levels (3.0 mg./ lb.) than at high dietary levels (5.5 mg./ lb.). Since there were no differences in body weight due to treatments the body weight data was omitted from the tables.
APRIL 22-24. ANNUAL MEETING, POULTRY AND EGG NATIONAL BOARD, HOTEL HILLSBORO, TAMPA, FLORIDA
Downloaded from http://ps.oxfordjournals.org/ at D H Hill Library - Acquis S on April 9, 2015
SUMMARY
A four week battery study with broilertype chicks was conducted to determine the relative pigmenting value of three strains of high-xanthophyll corn, regular yellow corn, clover meal and alfalfa meal when these feedstuffs supplied two comparable dietary xanthophyll levels. The xanthophyll in all of the yellow corns was found to be equally available for carotenoid deposition in broilers. Although there were no significant differences in pigmentation between the corns, it required approximately 50% less of the high-xanthophyll strains to furnish comparable dietary xanthophyll levels as regular corn. It is evident that these strains of corn could serve as the only source of xanthophyll in broiler rations. The yellow corns produced significantly greater pigmentation than that obtained by a comparable dietary xanthophyll level furnished by clover meal or alfalfa meal, with the xanthophyll of clover meal producing significantly greater pigmentation than alfalfa meal. The xanthophyll from clover meal was found to be 86.4% available as that of yellow corn and the xanthophyll of alfalfa meal was 73.8% as available as that of yellow corn.
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