J. R. Couch

The effect of processing on the nutritional value of guar meal for broiler chicks

Synopsis Guar meal contains two factors which are detrimental to the growth rate and food conversion of chicks. One of the factors is the trypsin inhibitor which can be destroyed by cooking the raw guar meal for a period of 1 hr at a temperature of 110° C. with the injection of super‐heated steam for a period of 15 min. after the cooker attains a temperature of 110°C. The second deterimental factor in guar meal is the guar gum which causes a depression in growth and sticky droppings when the total level of the gum in the diet exceeds 1.8 per cent. The usage of heated guar meal in chick diets is apparently limited by the gum content of the meal. Pectinase, an enzyme preparation added to a chick ration which contained 15 per cent processed guar meal, produced an increase in the weight gain of chicks fed the ration over those fed 15 per cent processed guar meal. Hypertrophy of the pancreas resulted in the chicks fed 20 and 30 per cent processed guar meal and in all groups fed raw guar meal.

Trypsin Inhibitor in Guar Meal

Summary The presence of trypsin inhibitor in Guar meal has been demonstrated by the trypsin-hemoglobin digestion procedure. The level of inhibition is concentration dependent. The inhibitor is destroyed by heating and is apparently not dialyzable, which may be indicative of a macromolecular nature.

Selenium and Development of Exudative Diathesis in Chicks.

Summary Two experiments have been conducted with White Rock and New Hampshire chicks concerning effects of selenium, Vit. E and dried brewers yeast on occurrence of exudative diathesis, and of these substances on blood changes associated with Vit. E deficiency. Selenium (selenate) at 0.1 ppm was effective in reversing the lowered red blood cell counts, lowered hemoglobin values, lowered serum protein levels, and the reduced A/G ratios associated with exudative diathesis. As this level was increased to 1 ppm the total blood changes were not as greatly affected as with feeding of 0.1 ppm level, apparently due to the toxicity of selenium.

Effect of feeding low lysine starters and developers on growth, sexual maturity and subsequent performance of broiler breeder pullets.

Synopsis Pullets that were fed diets containing 0.53 per cent and 0.42 per cent lysine grew at a slower rate and matured later than those that were given adequate amount of lysine. The latter pullets converted their food more efficiently than did the restricted pullets with the exception of the group fed the ration containing 0.53 per cent lysine for the first 12 weeks. The restricted pullets consumed less food during the growing period. A smaller bird was produced on less food. The restricted pullets were also lighter than the control pullets at the end of the laying season. A saving in food costs is indicated because the smaller hen would require less food for maintenance. There was a higher mortality in the pullets fed a ration containing 0.53 per cent lysine during the growing period. The mortality in the group fed the ration containing 0.42 per cent lysine from 7 to 22 weeks of age was the same as that of the control. There were no differences in mortality during the laying season that could be relat...

Studies on the conversion of folic acid to citrovorum factor by avian liver homogenate.

Abstract 1. 1. Nitrogen enhances the conversion of added folic acid (PGA) to citrovorum factor (CF) by chick liver homogenate (pH 6.3). 2. 2. Under these conditions, ascorbic acid does not augment the conversion of added PGA to CF. 3. 3. Liver homogenates from hens injected with vitamin B 12 synthesize CF from added PGA more effectively than similar homogenates of liver from hens on a basal diet unsupplemented. 4. 4. In vitro addition of vitamin B 12 to the homogenate of liver from the vitamin B 12 -deficient hen failed to give a significant increase in CF synthesis from added PGA. 5. 5. Although the two groups of hens received the same amount of PGA and CF, the group receiving an injection of vitamin B 12 showed an increased storage of CF in their livers and in egg yolk. 6. 6. Egg yolk and liver from hens receiving vitamin B 12 contained about twice as much vitamin B 12 per gram of egg yolk and 2.5 times as much vitamin B 12 per gram of liver in comparison to the egg yolk and liver from hens not receiving vitamin B 12 .

The supplementary effect of adding canthaxanthin to a diet containing natural sources of pigmenting compounds on the pigmentation of broilers

Synopsis Two experiments have been carried out involving 4200 broiler‐type chicks maintained on litter with six basal diets in the first study and six in the second. From the data of these studies, it can be concluded that canthaxanthin can be used effectively to augment or supplement naturally occurring xanthophylls found in yellow corn or alfalfa for the pigmentation of broilers. From the data, it would appear that it would be possible to produce any level of pigmentation desired by combining canthaxanthin with yellow corn or alfalfa or a combination of these two ingredients.

Gas-liquid chromatographic analysis of lenticular triglycerides. I. Total triglycerides.

Triglycerides from bovine, rabbit and chicken lenses were characterized according to molecular weight by gas-liquid chromatography. The total triglycerides were separated from the other lipid classes by preparative thin layer chromatography with subsequent elution to obtain purified triglycerides. The molecular weight distribution of the triglycerides and their fatty acid composition were then determined by gas-liquid chromatography. Triglycerides of similar molecular weight were observed in all the species investigated, with C48, C50, C52 and C54 triglycerides comprising greater than 85% of the total. These triglycerides consisted primarily of various combinations of C16 : 0, C16 : 1, C18 : 0, C18 : 1 and C18 : 2 fatty acids. Several unidentified peaks were eluted shortly after the solvent front was noted.

The effect of feeding a sub‐optimum level of lysine to female chicks on the amino acid content of selected tissues and organs

Synopsis The amino acid content of the liver, brain, serum and leg muscle of broiler breeder female chicks was not influenced appreciably at 4 and 8 weeks of age by feeding a diet containing sub‐optimum levels of lysine. The feeding of the low‐lysine diet produced a slight effect on the amino acid content of the breast muscle and a decided effect on the amino acid content of the skin and bone marrow at 4 and 8 weeks of age. The amino acid content of the heart tissue from chicks which received the 0.53% lysine diet was higher at 4 weeks of age. No explanation for this observation can be offered. The more decided changes were produced in the bone marrow of the chicks fed the low‐lysine diet at 4 and 8 weeks of age. There is a possibility that feeding the low‐lysine diet had an effect on protein synthesis in the bone marrow. Chicks fed the low‐lysine diet had apparently overcome the lysine deficiency in the synthesis of protein of the bone marrow at the end of the 12th week.

Identification of triglycerides in the bovine lens by chromatographic analysis

A combination of chromatographic techniques was used to designate the structural types of triglycerides in bovine lenses. Total lipids were extracted from fresh bovine lenses with subsequent isolation of triglycorides by thin layer chromatography. The purified triglycerides were separated according to unsaturation by silver nitrate-impregnated silica gel G TLC plates. Total triglycerides and individual Ag+TLC fractions then were analyzed quantitatively by gas-liquid chromatography to determine their triglyceride and fatty acid composition. Results obtained by these methods show that bovine lenses contain 45 components, the majority of which are in the 804–890 mol, wt range (carbon numbers 48–54). Triglycerides with two double bonds per molecule predominate (46·6 mole%), while those with 1, 3 or more, and 0 double bonds represent 24·4, 21·0 and 8·0 mole%, respectively. The data from this investigation indicate that dioleo-palmitin (OOP) and palmitoleo-stearo-olein (PoSO) are the most abundant triglycerides in bovine lenses.

Molybdenum in poult nutrition.

Summary (1) Weights of turkey poults fed a purified type diet were increased significantly upon addition of distillers dried solubles, distillers dried solubles ash, molybdenum (0.0254 ppm) or a mixture of distillers dried solubles, dried whey, fish solubles, an antibiotic fermentation residue, and forage juice. Although differences of as much as 2% in bone ash were observed, statistical significance was not obtained. (2) Both liver and intestinal xanthine dehydrogenase activities were significantly higher in supplemented groups as compared to control birds. A significant (P<0.05) correlation was determined between liver molybdenum content and level of enzyme activity. (3) Under the conditions of this study a portion of growth promoting activity of distillers dried solubles ash would appear to be explained on the basis of the molybdenum content.