Pran Vohra

Phytic acid-metal complexes.

Summary Sodium phytate corresponding to a formula of C6H6O24P6Na12 · 3H2O (formula weight 977.8) was titrated against metal ions and in each case an inflection in the titration curve was obtained when 5 moles of a divalent metal ion had been added per mole sodium phytate. At a pH of 7.4, sodium phytate formed complexes with metals in the following decreasing order: Cu++, Zn++, Ni++, Co++, Mn++ Fe+++, and Ca++.

Aflatoxin Susceptibility in Various Breeds of Poultry

Summary The comparative aflatoxin susceptibility in 18 different strains, crosses, or breeds of chickens, turkeys, and quail was evaluated under standardized conditions. One-half of the day-old chicks in each group were fed a diet containing aflatoxin equivalent in toxicity to 800 ppb pure aflatoxin B1 for periods of 2 to 6 weeks. Chicks were autopsied at weekly intervals to evaluate blood and liver biochemical and liver histological effects. One of the most sensitive biochemical responses to the degree of aflatoxin intoxication was a decrease in plasma albumin. Reduction in liver succinic dehydrogenase and nucleic acid concentration were also sensitive indicators of toxicity. Most adversely affected by aflatoxin were New Hampshire chicks and turkey poults. When New Hampshire hens were crossed with Leghorn males or vice versa, the sensitivity of the chicks to aflatoxin was no longer detectable, suggesting that the susceptibility is a genetically controlled factor. Birds possessing considerable resistance to aflatoxin included Barred Rock and Austrolop chickens and guinea fowl.

Chemical and biological evaluation of soya-bean flakes autoclaved for different durations

Abstract Solvent-extracted soya-bean flakes were autoclaved for 0–180 min at 121°C and evaluated by three chick feeding trials and several tests in vitro. Improvement in growth from short periods of heating was related to reduced trypsin inhibitor or urease activity which were highly correlated ( r = 0.96). After extraction with 0.2% KOH, protein solubility determined by the Kjeldahl nitrogen method was highly correlated ( r = 0.99) with that determined by the Coomassie Blue dye-binding method. Protein solubility decreased as the heating duration was increased. A high correlation was also found between Orange G binding and protein solubility ( r = 0.97); and between Coomassie Blue dye-binding and Orange G binding ( r = 0.98). Beyond the initial improvement in growth caused by the destruction of growth inhibitors, the degree of overheating measured by protein solubility, Orange G binding, or formol titration agreed well with decreased growth of chicks. Pancreas weight of −1 body weight is a relatively sensitive test of properly processed soya-bean meal. The effect of overheating soya-bean meal in reducing the growth of chickens was greater in a diet containing 1.2% lysine than when lysine was increased to 1.4%. Coomassie Blue dye-binding and either trypsin inhibitor or urease activity are rapid and convenient methods for evaluating soya-bean meal.

Intestinal Absorption of Zinc or Calcium-Ethylenediaminetetraacetic Acid Complexes in Chickens

Summary Carbon-14 and zinc-65 or cal-cium-45 appeared in the blood perfusing an isolated segment of the small intestines of chickens following placement of EDTA-2-C14 complexed with Zn65 and Ca45 in the lumen. The lumen tended to adsorb the zinc from its complex but not calcium. An efflux of 2.7 μM/hr cm was observed for calcium-45. The values for zinc-65 varied from 0.2-0.6 μM/hr cm.

Study of the reaction of formaldehyde with vitamin B12

Abstract Formaldehyde-C 14 reacts with vitamin B 12 in vitro to form complexes that cannot be separated from vitamin B 12 by crystallization, paper chromatography, or paper electrophoresis at several pH values. No differences were noted in the absorption spectra in the visible, ultra-violet, and infrared regions between vitamin B 12 reacted with formaldehyde and unreacted vitamin B 12 . Four samples prepared by slightly different methods contained 0.5, 1, 2, and 3 moles of formaldehyde-C 14 combined with each mole of vitamin B 12 .

Relative nutritional value of some rices for growth ofTribolium castaneum larvae

Growth of red flour beetleTribolium castaneum (Herbst) larvae with brown or milled rice as the carbohydrate source was faster on diets containing milled rice than on those with brown rice. Larval growth was negatively correlated with amylose content of both brown and milled rice. Among high-amylose (>25%) milled rices, heavier larvae were obtained with rices of low gelatinization temperature (alkali-spreading values 6–7) than with those with higher gelatinization temperature (alkali-spreading values < 6). The differences in larval growth reflected relative digestibility of raw rice starch granules.

The essential nature of lysine in the prevention of feather depigmentation of turkey poults

Abstract 1. 1. l -Proline, l -ornithine, dl -homocitrulline, dl -pipecolic acid, dl -α-aminohexanoic acid, and ϵ-aminocaproic acid were inactive in promoting growth or preventing feather depigmentation of turkey poults deficient in lysine. This indicates that the requirement for lysine is specific. 2. 2. ϵ- N -Acetyl- dl -lysine was utilized approximately 30% as efficiently as dl -lysine in promoting growth of poults. Feather pigmentation was improved somewhat by a high level of the compound.

Growth performance of starting turkey poults fed diets subjected to an anaerobic pasteurizing conditioning system

Abstract Two experiments were conducted for 22 or 24 days in which turkey poults were fed three forms of a starting feed with or without chlortetracycline and furazolidone. The poult starter was fed as unconditioned mash, as mash conditioned by the Anaerobic Pasteurizing Conditioning (APC) system, and as crumbled pellets made from the mash conditioned by the APC system. Compared with the growth of poults fed unconditioned mash without the antibiotic, early growth was improved in poults fed conditioned mash, or the mash supplemented with antibiotic. No additional growth response was observed in poults fed mash which was both supplemented with antibiotic and conditioned. Pelleting and subsequent crumbling of the conditioned mash increased the growth and feed efficiency. Coomassie Blue dye binding of the 0.2% KOH extract of the feeds, a measure of protein damage, was similar in the unconditioned and steam conditioned mash and in crumbled pellets made from conditioned mash. The results indicate that the nutritive value of poult starter feed was not reduced by processing in the APC system.

The effects of complex polysaccharides on growth, digestibility and blood parameters in pair-fed chicks

Abstract A pair-feeding study was conducted on chicks to evaluate the growth-depressing and hypocholesterolemic effects of guar gum and pectin compared to other sources of dietary fiber. Fibers were fed so that the diet contained 2% hemicellulose or related complex carbohydrate from wheat bran, corn bran, a wood hemicellulose product, guar gum or pectin. A diet containing 10% wheat bran was also fed. Despite pair feeding, final body weights of guar gum-fed chicks were lower than that of all other groups at four weeks. Pectin-fed chicks, though heavier than those fed guar gum, weighed less than those fed the control, wood hemicellulose or wheat bran at either level. Digestibility of the diets appeared to influence growth rates. Metabolizable energy and feed efficiency in guar gum and pectin-fed chicks were also lower, and excreta weight was greater than in chicks fed other sources of fiber. Although not correlated to body weight, total serum cholesterol levels in chicks fed guar gum were lower than those of all other groups. Post-prandial glucose levels in whole blood were highest in chicks fed wood hemicellulose and lowest in those fed guar gum, corn bran or 10% wheat bran.

Formation constants of certain zinc-complexes by ion-exchange method.

Summary Formation constants at a pH of 7.4 and μ = 0.16 have been determined by the ion-exchange method for zinc and a number of complexing agents.