Increasing dietary crude protein does not increase the essential amino acid requirements of kittens

Essential amino acid (EAA) requirements of omnivores and herbivores (e.g. chicks, lambs, pigs and rats) are directly related to the concentration of dietary crude protein (CP). When an EAA is limiting in the diet, addition of a mixture of EAA lacking the limiting one (which increases dietary CP) results in a decrease in food intake and weight gain. This interaction has been referred to as an AA imbalance and has not been studied in depth in strict carnivores. The objectives of these experiments were to examine the effects on growing kittens (2-week periods) of the addition to diets of a mixture of AA lacking the limiting one. The control diets were at the requirement of the respective limiting EAA (or about 85% of the 1986 National Research Council requirement). In experiment 1, with the dietary EAAs at the minimally determined requirements, the concentration of the essential or dispensable amino acids was increased to determine if CP or an EAA was limiting. Results of growth rates (n = 12) and plasma AA concentrations indicated that tryptophan was limiting, but increased body weight gain also occurred when the concentration of CP was increased as dispensable amino acids without additional tryptophan. Experiment 1 was repeated in experiment 2 using a crossover design. Again, when tryptophan was limiting additional concentrations of dispensable AAs increased body weight gain. This response is the opposite of that in herbivores and omnivores. Experiment 3 consisted of 10 separate crossover trials, one for each of the 10 EAA and examined the effect of two concentrations of dietary CP (200 and 300 g CP/kg diet) on body weight gain of kittens (n = 8) offered diets limiting in each respective EAA. Body weight gain was numerically greater when diets contained 300 g CP/kg than 200 g CP/kg for eight of 10 EAAs (p < 0.05 for only isoleucine and threonine) when each amino acid was limiting. This response is the reverse of that which occurs in chicks, lambs, pigs and rats when an EAA is limiting and dietary CP lacking the limiting EAA is increased. These results indicate that the EAA requirements of kittens are not positively correlated with dietary CP concentrations.     

Dietary crude protein concentration does not affect the leucine requirement of growing dogs

The objective of the present study was to examine the interaction between graded levels of leucine and dietary crude protein. Dose–response curves were generated using four 3 × 3 Latin squares (two dogs/square). Each square represented one of two concentrations of crude protein (140 or 280 g/kg diet) and one of two combinations of three concentrations of leucine (5.0, 7.0 and 9.0 g/kg diet or 9.0, 11 and 13 g/kg diet). An additional experiment was performed by feeding crude protein at 210 g/kg diet with either 7.0 or 11 g leucine/kg diet. Weight gain, food intake, nitrogen retention, plasma albumin and plasma amino acids were measured. The requirement was determined to be the minimum leucine concentration required to maximize weight gain and nitrogen retention. For 8–14-week-old male Beagle dogs, 140 g crude protein/kg diet in a diet containing 18 kJ metabolizable energy/g does not appear to support maximal growth. The leucine requirement was not affected by doubling the dietary crude protein level from 140 to 280 g/kg diet. From these results, the leucine requirement of 8–14-week-old Beagle dogs appears to be 11 g leucine/kg diet independent of the level of dietary crude protein, whereas dogs over 14 weeks require only 7 g leucine/kg diet for maximal nitrogen retention.     

Dietary crude protein has minimal effect on the activity of selected enzymes of methionine catabolism in kittens fed diets near-limiting in methionine

Previous experiments have shown that increasing the dietary crude protein (CP) of cats does not increase urea cycle enzymes or alanine amino transferase as occurs in rats. Also when an essential amino acid (EAA) is limiting in a diet for growing kittens, the kittens do not exhibit an amino acid imbalance when other EAAs are added to the diet. To study the metabolic basis for these observations which are different from that found in omnivores and herbivores, the hypothesis that increased dietary CP decreases methionine catabolism, so more is spared for growth, was tested. Fifteen male kittens were randomly assigned to one of three dietary treatments. Each diet contained 2.5 g l-methionine/kg diet and 200, 300 or 500 g CP/kg diet. The livers and kidneys were removed and assayed for methionine transaminase (MTA), cystathionase (CASE) and cystathionine synthase (CS). Free amino acid concentrations were determined in liver, kidney and plasma. The 300 and 500 g CP/kg groups had significantly greater kidney weights and body weight gains than the 200 g CP/kg group. Hepatic MTA activity was lower in the 300 than the 200 or 500 g CP/kg groups (p < 0.05). Renal MTA and CASE activities were 35% and 50% greater, respectively, for the 500 g CP/kg group than for the 200 g CP/kg diet group (p < 0.05). Renal CS activities for the 300 and 500 g CP/kg groups were 29% (p > 0.05) and 38% (p < 0.05) greater, respectively, than the 200 g CP/kg group. Cyst(e)ine concentrations were lower in the livers of the 500 g CP/kg group than the 200 g CP/kg group (p < 0.05). Cystathionine was lower in plasma and kidney from the 500 g CP/kg diet group than from the 200 g CP/kg diet group (p < 0.05). It was concluded that the metabolic basis for the increased growth of kittens fed diets marginally limiting in methionine, with increasing concentrations of dietary CP, was not mediated through decreased enzyme activity associated with the catabolism of methionine, but was the result of an increase in food (methionine) intake.     

The dietary valine requirement for prolific lactating sows does not exceed the National Research Council estimate

Two studies were conducted to determine the effect of increasing the valine:lysine (V:L) ratio in diets of lactating sows above the minimum proposed by the NRC (1998). The first experiment involved 189 PIC, Camborough product sows (parity 1 to 4) that were allotted to 1 of 3 dietary treatments. Diets were formulated to achieve total dietary V:L ratios of 0.90, 1.05, or 1.25:1, respectively, and were corn and soybean meal-based. The second experiment involved 279 PIC, Camborough sows (parity 1 to 5) that were allotted to 1 of 4 treatments. Diets 1 and 3 were formulated using corn and a fixed inclusion of soybean meal (16.7%), with 0.27% L-lysine HCl. The V:L ratios in diets 1 and 3 were 0.73 and 1.25:1, respectively. Diets 2 and 4 were typical corn-soybean meal diets containing 0.05% L-lysine HCl, with a fixed inclusion of soybean meal (22.7%). The V:L ratios in diets 2 and 4 were 0.86 and 1.25:1, respectively. In both experiments, each litter was standardized to a minimum of 10 pigs, which achieved litter growth rates of 2.22 and 2.56 kg/d in Exp. 1 and 2, respectively. In Exp. 1, increasing the dietary V:L ratio beyond 0.90:1 did not improve (P > 0.10) the number of pigs weaned, survival rate, or piglet growth rate, even though sows were nursing more than 10 pigs per litter for 19 d. In Exp. 2, total lysine intake was similar among treatments and ranged from 52.1 to 55.3 g/d. Valine intake increased as the diet valine concentration increased (diet 1 vs. 3 and diet 2 vs. 4, P < 0.001), ranging from 40.0 to 66.1 g/d. Litter gain tended to improve (P = 0.14) when the 0.27% L-lysine HCl control (0.73 V:L) was supplemented with valine to achieve a 1.25:1 V:L ratio. In contrast, no aspect of sow or litter response was improved when the practical control diet containing 0.05% L-lysine HCl (0.86 V:L) was supplemented with valine to achieve a 1.25:1 V:L ratio. Collectively, this research shows that a V:L ratio in excess of 0.86 does not conserve maternal tissue loss or improve piglet growth rate, but a V:L ratio of 0.73 may compromise litter growth rate.     

Determination of the selenium requirement in kittens

The purpose of this study was to determine the selenium (Se) requirement in kittens. Thirty-six specific-pathogen-free kittens (9.8 weeks old) were utilized in a randomized complete block design to determine the Se requirement in cats with gender and weight used as blocking criteria. Kittens were fed a low Se (0.02 mg/kg Se) torula yeast-based diet for 5 weeks (pre-test) after which an amino acid-based diet (0.027 mg Se/kg diet) was fed for 8 weeks (experimental period). Six levels of Se (0, 0.05, 0.075, 0.10, 0.20 and 0.30 mg Se/kg diet) as Na2SeO3 were added to the diet and were used to construct a response curve. Response variables included Se concentrations and Se-dependent glutathione peroxidase activities (GSHpx) in plasma and red blood cells (RBC) as well as plasma total T3 (TT3) and total T4 (TT4). No significant changes in food intake, weight gain or clinical signs of Se deficiency were noted. Estimates of the kitten's Se requirement (i.e. breakpoints) were determined for RBC and plasma GSHpx (0.12 and 0.15 mg Se/kg diet, respectively), but no definitive breakpoint was determined for plasma Se. Plasma TT3 increased linearly, whereas plasma TT4 and the ratio of TT4 : TT3 decreased in a quadratic fashion to dietary Se concentration. The requirement estimate determined in this study (0.15 mg Se/kg) for kittens is in close agreement with other species. As pet foods for cats contain a high proportion of animal protein with a Se bioavailability of 30%, it is recommended that commercial diets for cats contain 0.5 mg Se/kg DM.     

蛋氨酸形式和饲粮蛋白质水平对黄羽肉鸡生产性能的影响

选用1日龄快长型岭南黄羽肉鸡公雏1500只,随机分为5个处理,每处理6个重复,每重复50只鸡,分别饲喂以下5种饲粮:正常蛋白质加Alimet饲粮(处理1)、正常蛋白质加DLM饲粮(处理2)、低蛋白质(比正常水平降低约1.5个百分点)加Alimet饲粮(处理3)、低蛋白质加DLM组饲粮(处理4)、正常蛋白质未加蛋氨酸饲粮(处理5)。结果表明,在等摩尔量有效成分添加基础上,Alimet比DLM更有利于提高黄羽肉鸡生长性能,降低饲料成本和死亡率;饲粮蛋白质水平和蛋氨酸形式对43～63日龄和0～63日龄黄羽肉鸡生长性能的影响存在互作效应,表现为在正常蛋白质水平时添加Alimet对黄羽肉鸡生长性能的改善效果优于DLM,且更有利于降低饲料成本,而在低蛋白质水平时添加Alimet和DLM则无显著差异;在本试验条件下,降低饲粮蛋白质水平会对黄羽肉鸡的生长性能、饲料成本和成活率产生不利影响。     

肉用仔鹅饲粮适宜粗纤维和粗蛋白水平的研究

采用3×3因子的析因设计,将189只1日龄健康肉用仔鹅随机分成9组,每组3个重复,每个重复7只;将日粮的粗纤维和粗蛋白分前、后期各设低、中、高3个水平,构成9个处理,18种日粮,研究不同粗纤维和粗蛋白水平对1~35日龄(前期)、36~63日龄(后期)肉仔鹅生长性能和营养物质利用率的影响。结果:1~35日龄肉仔鹅对日粮中粗纤维水平非常敏感,但对蛋白质水平要求不高;低纤维水平日粮组日增重与料重比明显好于中、高纤维组(P<0.01),日粮粗纤维和粗蛋白水平极显著影响鹅对能量和蛋白质的利用率(P<0.01);1~35日龄肉仔鹅饲粮粗纤维水平以3.5%、粗蛋白水平以17%~19%为宜。36~63日龄,较低的粗蛋白水平即可满足鹅的需要;高纤维水平日粮组鹅的日增重与料重比明显好于低纤维水平组(P<0.01);日粮粗纤维和粗蛋白水平极显著影响鹅对能量和蛋白质的利用率(P<0.01)。试验表明36~63日龄肉仔鹅饲粮适宜粗纤维水平为10%,粗蛋白水平为14%。     

泌乳期肉兔粗蛋白质需要量的研究

乳期母兔的饲养管理和营养水平,不仅与母兔下个繁殖期的生产力有关系,更重要的是对仔兔的生长发育有直接的影响.本试验旨在通过饲养试验,研究日粮粗蛋白质含量对母兔泌乳性能及体重的影响,从而确定泌乳母兔需要量,为制定我国肉兔饲养标准奠定基础.     

Sulphur amino acid requirement of laying hens and the effects of excess dietary methionine on laying performance

1. Individually‐caged laying hens were fed on maize‐soya bean meal diets containing 11.50 or 12.35 MJ ME/kg with sulphur amino acid (SAA) contents varying from 5.0 to 7.0 g/kg in period 1 (0 to 20 weeks); from 5.0 to 8.0 g/kg in period 2 (21 to 36 weeks) and from 5.0 to 10.0 g/kg in period 3 (37 to 52 weeks).

2. A SAA requirement of about 750 mg/hen d, of which about 425 mg was methionine, was found to be adequate for birds producing on average 51 g egg mass per hen d over 52 weeks. The SAA requirement was found to be higher for maximum efficiency of food utilisation than for maximum egg yield.

3. A diet containing 140 g protein/kg adequately supplemented with methionine and lysine, could sustain laying performance almost identical to that achieved on a diet containing 167 g protein/kg.

4. In diets with 140 g protein/kg the addition of 0.5 to 3.5 g dl‐methionine/kg diet in excess of the requirement did not affect egg production adversely, but food conversion efficiency was decreased.     

提高氨化处理秸秆粗蛋白含量的适宜方法研究

为提高秸秆粗蛋白含量,以氢氧化钠、过氧化氢、生石灰、熟石灰、尿素为处理剂,进行不同浓度和不同组合方式处理小麦秸和莜麦秸的试验.结果表明:尿素与氢氧化钠的组合对提高秸秆粗蛋白含量极为有效,5%以上的生石灰与尿素组合提高效率最高,为单纯5%尿素氨化法的4倍.建议生产中根据需要确定尿素剂量.     

Dietary methionine requirement of the Chinese egg-laying duck

1. The dietary methionine requirement of egg-laying ducks was assessed by feeding diets supplemented with graded levels of DL-methionine (0, 4, 8, 12, 16 g/kg dietary protein) for 8 weeks. The basal diet contained 175 g protein and 2.6 g methionine per kg feed (or 14.9 g/kg protein) and an estimated ME of 11.5 MJ/kg. 2. A total of 800 Shaoxin laying ducks (420 d old) were randomly divided into 5 groups of 160 each and fed in 4 separate pens. 3. Dietary supplementation of methionine significantly increased egg production and feed conversion efficiency. 4. Dietary methionine requirement for optimum egg production was estimated to be 25.7 g/kg of dietary protein or 4.5 g/kg of the diet or 380 mg/bird-d. 5. Methionine supplementation increased the methionine level in plasma, and the free glutamic acid and aspartic acid concentrations in plasma were quadratically related to dietary methionine levels. Increasing dietary methionine had little effect on egg quality characteristics.     

青年獭兔消化能、粗蛋白水平研究

用 72只 10 0日龄左右青年獭兔进行能量、粗蛋白等营养需要量试验 ,设高能量高蛋白 (第 1组 :DE 11 17MJ/kg ,CP18 44 % )、高能量中蛋白 (第 2组 :DE 10 98MJ/kg ,CP 16 2 9% )、低能量高蛋白 (第 3组 :DE 10 5 3MJ/kg ,CP 19 2 9% )和低能量中蛋白 (第 4组 :DE 10 2 6MJ/kg ,CP 16 0 5 % ) 4个组。 74天生长发育和被毛质量测定结果 :①饲喂消化能为10 98～ 11 17MJ/kg的饲料 ,有利于青年獭兔生长速度和饲料利用率的提高 ,也有利于屠宰率的改善。其中以消化能为11 17MJ/kg、粗蛋白 19 2 9%的饲料 ,其生长速度和饲料利用率最好。②饲喂消化能为 10 2 6～ 10 5 3MJ/kg、粗蛋白16 0 5 %～ 19 2 9%的饲料 ,有利于毛皮质量的提高。③综合本研究结果 :生产优质商品兔皮的青年兔饲喂含消化能为10 2 6～ 10 5 3MJ/kg、粗蛋白 16 0 5 %～ 19 2 9%的饲料为宜。     

后备牛蛋白质营养需要研究进展

为培育优质泌乳奶牛,研究不同生理阶段后备牛日粮的最佳蛋白质水平。采用生长比较试验、消化代谢试验和屠宰试验研究蛋白质水平对后备牛的影响。结果表明,①0～2月龄哺乳期犊牛,代乳粉中粗蛋白水平22%为宜;②3～4月龄断奶犊牛,开食料中粗蛋白水平20%最佳;③8～10月龄后备母牛,在日粮消化能为13.17MJ/kg时,粗蛋白水平约12%,蛋白能量比为37.9:1(g/Mcal),可满足ADG为0.9kg/d时的生长需要。结论,蛋白水平对后备奶牛的生长发育非常重要。     

Level of supplemental protein does not influence the ruminally undegradable protein value

Two experiments were conducted to determine whether elevating the percentage of ruminally undegradable protein (RUP) in the diet would influence the RUP value of the protein feedstuff. A single-effluent, continuous-culture study was designed to test the effect of RUP inclusion rate in the diet on ruminal degradability of the protein. Treatments consisted (DM basis) of a control diet with no supplemental protein, control + 2.5% bloodmeal (BM-L), control + 5% bloodmeal (BM-H), control + 4.45% soybean meal (SBM-L), and control + 8.89% soybean meal (SBM-H). Proteolytic activity and total VFA concentration were not affected (P = 0.73 and P = 0.13) by treatment. Within protein source, dietary RUP value was not affected (P = 0.94) by level of inclusion. When corrected for control diet RUP flow, the RUP value of the blood meal (BM) protein was higher (P = 0.01) than soybean meal (SBM); however, level of supplementation did not affect (P = 0.07) the RUP value of BM or SBM. In Exp. 2, 32 British x Continental crossbred steers (276 +/- 26.3 kg) were fed for 72 d to examine the effects of balancing the AA:energy ratio, using BM as a RUP source, on ADG, G:F, and lean tissue deposition. Diets were formulated to provide increasing levels of arginine, while ruminally degradable protein and energy were held constant. Four dietary treatments provided 0.5, 1, 1.5, and 2x the required amount of arginine, whereas the control diet had no BM included. Daily DMI averaged 7.6 kg/steer and did not differ (P = 0.71) among treatments. Steers gained an average of 1.9 kg/d and average G:F was 0.260, with no differences (P = 0.60 and P = 0.97, respectively) among treatments. There was no difference (P = 0.48) in the change in 12th-rib fat depth during the study; however, change in LM area was affected quadratically as the level of BM increased in the diet, with the greatest increase in LM area occurring in steers fed the 1x and 1.5x required arginine treatments. Balancing the AA:energy ratio did not affect G:F, DMI, or ADG; however, it increased deposition of lean in the LM quadratically. Level of dietary inclusion of BM as an RUP source does not affect its RUP value or efficacy of providing postruminal AA in growing steers.     

Effects of dietary protein concentration on the response of growing chicks to methionine.

1. Experiments were conducted independently at two stations to measure the requirement for methionine in chick diets with crude protein (CP) varying in 8 steps from 140 to 280 g/kg diet (experiment 1) or from 90 to 300 g/kg (experiment 2). 2. Protein composition was the same at all protein concentrations within a trial. The diet was designed to be first-limiting in methionine and DL-methionine was added to provide 5 ratios of methionine to CP at each protein concentration. 3. Methionine required for maximum growth rate or maximum efficiency of food utilisation was estimated at each protein concentration by fitting a quadratic regression equation to the relevant data. The requirement was also estimated by fitting the Reading model to data for growth rate and methionine intake. 4. In both trials and by all three methods of estimation, the methionine requirement (g/kg diet) for maximum performance increased as a linear function of dietary CP concentration and nearly in direct proportion to CP. 5. It is concluded that diets which contain surplus protein, beyond that needed to maximise growth rate or food efficiency, need supplementation with methionine beyond that required when dietary protein is just adequate. A suitable rule for practical formulation is that methionine concentration in chick diets should be not less than 0.025 times the dietary CP concentration.     

Exposure to low dietary copper or low copper coupled with high dietary manganese for one year does not alter brain prion protein characteristics in the mature cow

It is now widely accepted that abnormal prion proteins are the likely causative agent in bovine spongiform encephalopathy. Cellular prion proteins (PrP(c)) bind Cu, which appears to be required to maintain functional characteristics of the protein. The replacement of Cu on PrP(c) with Mn has resulted in loss of function and increased protease resistance. Twelve mature cows were used to determine the effects of Cu deficiency, alone and coupled with high dietary Mn, on brain Cu and Mn concentrations and on PrP(c) functional characteristics. Copper-adequate cows were randomly assigned to treatments: 1) control (adequate in Cu and Mn), 2) Cu-deficient (-Cu), and 3) Cu-deficient plus high dietary Mn (-Cu+Mn). Cows assigned to treatments -Cu and -Cu+Mn received no supplemental Cu and were supplemented with Mo to further induce Cu deficiency. After 360 d, Cu-deficient cows (-Cu and -Cu+Mn) tended to have lesser concentrations of Cu (P = 0.09) in the obex region of the brain stem. Brain Mn tended (P = 0.09) to be greater in -Cu+Mn cattle compared with -Cu cattle. Western blots revealed that PrP(c) relative optical densities, proteinase K degradability, elution profiles, molecular weights, and glycoform distributions were not different among treatments. The concentration of PrP(c), as determined by ELISA, was similar across treatment groups. Brain tissue (obex) Mn superoxide dismutase activity was greatest (P = 0.04) in cattle receiving -Cu+Mn, whereas immunopurified PrP(c) had similar superoxide dismutase-like activities among treatments. Immunopurified PrP(c) had similar Cu concentrations across treatments, whereas Mn was undetectable. We concluded that Cu deficiency, coupled with excessive Mn intake, in the bovine may decrease brain Cu and increase brain Mn. Copper deficiency, alone or coupled with high dietary Mn, did not cause detectable alterations in PrP(c) functional characteristics.