The Ammo Acid Deficiencies of Blood Meal for the Chick*

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D . D . KUZMICKY AND G. O . K.OHLER

carrying out amino acid analyses. Grateful appreciation is also extended to Dr. Clyde D. Mueller of Kimber Farms, Inc., Fremont, California, for arranging a special supply of Kimber cockerels for our purchase; and Pacific Vegetable Oil Corporation, Richmond, California for supplying the safflower meal. REFERENCES

The Ammo Acid Deficiencies of Blood Meal for the Chick* HANS

Department

of Nutrition, Rutgers-The

FISHER

State University, New Brunswick, New Jersey 08903

(Received for publication February 12, 1968)

ALTHOUGH blood meal has been stud•**• ied as a protein supplement in practical rations for swine and poultry, little is known about its amino acid adequacy for these species. Grau and Almquist (1944), using a diet containing more than one source of protein, reported that blood meal was deficient in isoleucine for the growing chick. Studies with swine have also confirmed the limitation of isoleucine in blood meal for this animal species (Becker et al., 1963). Rasmussen et al. (1958) relying primarily on the studies by Grau and Almquist, suggested that isoleucine is the only essential amino acid deficient for the chick in blood meal. Since a preliminary in* Paper of the Journal Series, New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station, New Brunswick.

vestigation revealed that chicks do not grow well when blood meal is supplemented with isoleucine as the only amino acid additive, the present study was carried out using whole blood meal as the only protein source. EXPERIMENTAL Day-old male chicks from a cross of Columbian females and New Hampshire males were alloted into duplicate groups of five per treatment. The chicks were kept in electrically heated battery brooders and given food and water ad libitum. The duration of the experiments was 14 to 20 days. The basal diet, in percent, was composed of: corn starch, 28.0; dextrin, 5.0; fiber,1 1

Solka floe, Brown Company, New York, N. Y.

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Halloran, H. R., 1961. High protein safflower meal for chickens. Feedstuffs, 33(45): 70-71. Kohler, G. O., and R. Palter, 1967. Studies on methods for amino acid analysis of wheat products. Cereal Chem. 44: 512-520. Kratzer, F. H., P. N. Davis and B. J . Marshall, 1956. The protein and lysine requirements of turkeys at various ages. Poultry Sci. 35: 197-202.

Kratzer, F. H., and D. E. Williams, 1951. Safflower oil meal in rations for chicks. Poultry Sci. 30:417-421. Kuzmicky, D. D., and G. O. Kohler, 1968. Safflower meal—utilization as a protein source for broiler rations. Poultry Sci. 47: in press. Peterson, C. F., A. C. Wiese, G. J. Anderson and C. E. Lampman, 1957. The use of safflower oil meal in poultry rations. Poultry Sci. 36: 3-8. Schwartz, H. G., M. W. Taylor and H. Fisher, 1958. The effect of dietary energy concentration and age on the lysine requirement of growing chicks. J. Nutrition, 65: 25-37. Steel, R. G. D., and J . H. Torrie, 1960. Principles and Procedures of Statistics. McGraw-Hill Book Company, Inc., New York, N.Y. Valadez, S., W. R. Featherston and R. A. Pickett, 1965. Utilization of safflower meal by the chick and its effect upon plasma lysine and methionine concentrations. Poultry Sci. 44: 909-915.

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AMINO ACIDS IN BLOOD MEAL

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Table 1 gives the amino acid composition of a representative sample of the whole blood meal used in this study. The values are generally similar to those reported by Block and Weiss (1956). Exceptions include a lower tryptophan, isoleucine and serine and a higher phenylalanine and alanine content for the present meal than for that reported on by Block and Weiss. On the basis of the present analysis it appeared that in addition to isoleucine, which previously has been shown to be limiting, tryptophan and arginine might also be either deficient or of borderline adequacy for chicks. Glycine, which may be classified as * By Analy tica Laboratories, Long Island, N. Y.

TABUS 1.—Amino acid composition of whole blood meal Amount (g./16g. N) Amino Acid

Arginine Histidine Lysine Tyrosine Tryptophan Phenylalanine Cystine Methionine Serine Threonine Leucine Isoleucine Valine Glutamic acid Aspartic acid Glycine Alanine Proline

Our Analysis

Block and Weiss (1956)

4.7 6.7 9.9 4.6 0.72 9.2 1.3 1.2 5.5 5.0 13.5 1.2 9.5 11.1 11.6 4.5 8.9 4.4

4.5 6.4 9.2 2.5 1.4 7.7 1.4 1.2 8.4 4.4 11.6 2.3 8.3 9.8 12.4 4.7 1.0 4.9

a semi-essential amino acid, is also present in relatively low amounts and was, therefore, included as a supplement in this study. Table 2 shows that isoleucine supplementation of blood meal improved growth and food utilization only slightly. On the other hand, the multiple addition of glycine, methionine, tryptophan, isoleucine and arginine improved growth to about four times the final weights obtained with the unsupplemented blood meal. In the second experiment (Table 3) the same multiple amino acid supplement was used for the control diet, and individual amino acids were omitted in the other treatment groups. The last group shown in Table 3 had a lower level of isoleucine added to the amino acid supplement (0.5 instead of 1.5%). The omission of glycine and tryptophan from the mixture of amino acids had no appreciable effect on growth and feed utilization. Removal of arginine from the mixture resulted in reduced growth; compared with omission of methionine or of isoleucine,

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3.0; blood meal, 14.0; mineral mix, 4.9; corn oil, 3.0; vitamin mix, 0.5; and glucose to 100. The blood meal used in Experiments 1 and 3 supplied 94.0% protein (N X 6.25), and in Experiment 2, 77.6%. The difference in the two meals was due to a difference in moisture content. A relatively low dietary protein level (13%) was chosen to study the limiting amino acids. In Experiment 2, which was started before a protein analysis of the second batch of blood meal was available, the level was only 11%. Body weights and feed consumption were recorded at weekly intervals. The first sample of blood meal (which, according to the manufacturer, was primarily from swine blood) was analyzed2 for amino acids by ion exchange column chromatography using a Phoenix Amino Acid Analyzer with columns prepared according to the procedures af Moore and colleagues (Moore et al., 1958; Spackman et al., 1958). Tryptophan which is destroyed during acid hydrolysis of the protein was also estimated by column chromatography following hydrolysis of the protein with barium hydroxide.

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H. FISHER

TABLE 2.—Body weights and feed utilization of chicks fed whole blood meal with and without amino acid supplementation 14-Day Supplement

1

Body Weight (g.)

3

Gain to Feed Ratio

37+13 48 + 2 124+5

None L-isoleucine, 0.6% Glycine, 1 % + D L -

0 0.16 0.52

however, the growth of chicks without arginine was significantly better. Reduction of isoleucine from 1.5 to 0.5% of the diet caused a marked growth improvement in comparison with the complete supplement (group 7 vs. group 1, Table 3). The higher level of isoleucine had been added originally because of the unusually high leucine content of blood meal. Since the growth retardation resulting from the antagonism between leucine and isoleucine has been reported to respond to increased levels of either amino acid if the other one is elevated TABLE 3.—Body weights and feed utilization of chicks fed whole blood meal with various amino acid supplements 17-Day

(1) Glycine, 1%+DLmethionine, 0.3% + L-tryptophan, 0.1% + L-isoleucine, 1.5% + L-arginine HC1, 1.2% (2) as (1) minus glycine (3) as (1) minus methionine (4) as (1) minus tryptophan (5) as (1) minus arginine (6) as (1) minus isoleucine (7) as (6) plus L-isoleucine, 0.5%

90±9» 99±9 48+2 93+11 61 + 4 41±1 123±8

n-„ in

F g|

^

R f ti0

0.35 0.38 0.14 0.41 0.23 0 0.45

J Diet supplied 11% protein (NX6.25) from whole blood meal. 2 Starting weight at hatching 38-42 g. * Average ..weight of duplicate groups of 5 chicks with standard error.

20-Day Body Weight 2 (g.)

Gain to Feed Ratio

148+ 6 3 173 ± 6 175 + 6 170 + 8

0.43 0.55 0.52 0.51

' D i e t supplied 13% protein (NX6.25) from whole blood meal plus glycine 1%, DL-methionine 0.3%, L-tryptophan 0.1%, and L-arginine HC1 1.5%. 2 Starting weight at hatching 38-42 g. 3 Average weight of duplicate groups of 5 chicks with standard error.

(Harper, 1964), it was thought that the higher level of isoleucine might be beneficial in this regard. Experiment 3 was designed to check further into the effect of low and high additions of isoleucine. The results in Table 4 do not confirm the adverse effects of high levels of isoleucine when added to a blood meal-containing diet. In this experiment, body weights were significantly lower with 0.5% isoleucine supplementation as compared with any of the higher levels. It is possible that the discrepancy between these findings relates to the lower level of protein in the diets for Experiment 2. On the basis of the present findings, it is suggested that blood meal, to be of optimal value in practical feed formulation for chickens, ought to be combined with other protein sources in such a way that not only the isoleucine deficiency, but also the arginine and methionine deficiencies will be eliminated. This study corroborates a suggestion we have made elsewhere3 concerning studies of amino acid availability. Without systemati5 Presented at the 1967 Animal Nutrition Research Council Meeting, Washington, D.C. Published in Feedstuffs, 60 ( 6 ) : 62, 1968.

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' D i e t supplied 13% protein (NX6.25) from whole blood meal. 2 Starting weight at hatching, 37 g. 3 Average weight of duplicate groups of 5 chicks with standard error.

Body Wright* (g.)

L-Isoleucine Supplement 1 % of diet 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0

methionine, 0.3% -f-L-tryptophan, 0.1%-j-L-isoleucine, 1.5%+L-arginine HC1, 1.2%

Amino Acid Supplement1

TABLE 4.—Body weights and feed utilization of chicks fed increasing levels of isoleucine with a blood meal diet

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AMINO ACIDS IN BLOOD MEAL

cally ascertaining all the amino acid deficiencies of a given protein source, it is easy to conclude that certain amino acids might not be readily available in that protein source. Certainly this might have been suggested for blood meal when isoleucine supplementation alone did not greatly improve its nutritive value. There was no suggestion from earlier studies that other amino acids such as arginine and methionine might be equally or more limiting than isoleucine. SUMMARY

REFERENCES Becker, D. E., I. D. Smith, S. W. Terrill, A. H. Jensen and H. W. Norton, 1963. Isoleucine need of swine at two stages of development. J. An. Sci. 22 : 1093-1096. Block, R. J., and K. W. Weiss, 19S6. Amino Acid Handbook, p. 341, Charles C Thomas, Springfield, Illinois. Grau, C. R., and H. J. Almquist, 1944. Beef blood in chick diets. Poultry Sci. 23: 486-490. Harper, A. E., 1964. In Mammalian Protein Metabolism edited by H. N. Munro and J. B. Allison, volume II, chapter 13, p. 123, Academic Press, New York, N.Y. Moore, S., D. H. Spackman and W. H. Stein, 1958. Chromatography of amino acids of sulfonated polystyrene resins. Anal. Chem. 30: 1185-1190. Rasmussen, O. G., C. R. Myers, M. M. Darrow and O. H. M. Wilder, 1958. The use of blood meal in livestock feeds. American Meat Institute Foundation, Bulletin No. 39. Spackman, D. H., W. H. Stein and S. Moore, 1958. Automatic recording apparatus for use in the chromatography of amino acids. Anal. Chem. 30: 1190-1206.

Physical and Functional Properties of Gamma Irradiated Liquid Egg White H. R. BALL* AND F. A. GARDNER Poultry Science Department, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843 (Received for publication February 13, 1968)

INTRODUCTION OSSIBILITIES of preserving foods by applications of ionizing radiations have prompted numerous investigations during the past decade. Most of these studies have been primarily concerned with the micro-

P

* Present address: Department of Food Science and Nutrition, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri 65201.

biological and organoleptic properties of irradiated foods. The possibility of control and elimination of Salmonella in egg products has received considerable attention. Results obtained in these studies indicate that ionizing radiation as a means of pasteurizing egg products has excellent potential (Ketchum et al., 1965). The ability of radiation pasteurization

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Blood meal as the only protein source was fed to male, crossbred chicks at 11 and 13% of the diet. It was found that isoleucine, methionine, and arginine were limiting amino acids and that isoleucine alone did not materially improve nutritive quality. Tryptophan was not found to be limiting although calculations based on the amino acid composition of the blood meal suggested its presence in borderline quantity. ACKNOWLEDGMENT The blood meal was generously supplied

by the American Industrial Meal Company, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.