| Abstract: | This study was conducted to examine the effects of feeding dry‐processed sweet potato waste on the growth of broilers. Sweet potato waste was air‐dried (A‐SPW) or heat‐dried (D‐SPW). Twenty‐four 14‐d‐old chicks were assigned to the following groups (14–28 days): control, fed a corn‐soybean meal‐based diet; A‐SPW, fed the basal diet with 55% of the corn replaced with A‐SPW meal; D‐SPW, fed the basal diet with 50% of the corn replaced with D‐SPW meal. The feed conversion ratio (feed/gain) of the D‐SPW group was greater than that of the A‐SPW group. The relative weight of abdominal fat and the muscle lipid content of the D‐SPW group were increased compared with those of the A‐SPW group. The metabolizabilities of crude protein and gross energy of the D‐SPW group were increased compared with those of the A‐SPW group. The plasma α‐tocopherol concentrations of the A‐SPW and D‐SPW groups were greater than that of the control group. Plasma malondialdehyde was decreased in the A‐SPW and D‐SPW groups, and muscle malondialdehyde was decreased in the D‐SPW group, compared with the control group. Our results demonstrate that dry‐heat processing improves the nutrient metabolizability of sweet potato waste and makes it into available feed for broilers. |
