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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Fayetteville, Arkansas » Poultry Production and Product Safety Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #384244
Research Project: Quantifying Air and Water Quality Benefits of Improved Poultry Manure Management Practices

Location: Poultry Production and Product Safety Research

Title: Evaluation of a threonine fermentation product as a digestible threonine source in broilers

Author
item LEE, TREVOR - University Of Arkansas
item LEE, JASON - University Of Arkansas
item Ashworth, Amanda
item KIDD, MICHAEL - University Of Arkansas
item MAUROMOUSTAKOS, ANDY - University Of Arkansas
item ROCHELL, SAMUEL - University Of Arkansas

Submitted to: Journal of Applied Poultry Research
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/24/2022
Publication Date: 5/16/2022
Citation: Lee, T., Lee, J., Ashworth, A.J., Kidd, M.T., Mauromoustakos, A., Rochell, S. 2022. Evaluation of a threonine fermentation product as a digestible threonine source in broilers. Journal of Applied Poultry Research. 31. Article 100252. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.japr.2022.100252.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.japr.2022.100252

Interpretive Summary: Threonine is generally considered to be the third limiting amino acid (AA) for meat chickens (broilers) fed corn and soybean meal-based diets. Researchers tested five phase-fed diets with various AA, protein levels and measured feed intake and weight gain throughout the bird's life cyle. Overall, broilers fed the reduced protein diet had increased feed intake. Birds fed the reduced protein and the Threonine fermentation product diets had similar performance. At processing, broilers fed the reduced protein diet had increased absolute and relative breast weights. This study confirmed the importance of adequate dietary Threonine concentration for maximizing broiler performance, animal health, and broiler production efficiencies.

Technical Abstract: In the present experiment, a Thr fermentation product (FP) (75% minimum digestible Thr) was evaluated as a replacement for crystalline L-Thr (98.5% minimum digestible Thr) as source of digestible Thr and other nutrients to support broiler performance (0 to 48 d) and processing characteristics. Five phase-fed diets included: 1) a positive control (PC) diet containing L-Met, L-Lys·HCl, and L-Thr, 2) a reduced protein control (RPC) diet with added L-Val, L-Ile, and L-Arg, 3) a negative control (NC) identical to the RPC except that cellulose was added at the expense of L-Thr, 4) a RPC diet with Thr FP used in place of L-Thr with only accounting for digestible Thr and energy contributions of the FP (TFP), and 5) a RPC diet with Thr FP used in place of L-Thr and accounting for the full nutrient matrix of the FP (TFP-FM). Overall, broilers fed the RPC diet had increased feed intake, whereas broilers fed the NC diet reduced BW gain and increased FCR. Birds fed the RPC diet and TFP diet had similar performance. Birds fed the TFP-FM diet exhibited a similar FCR to RPC broilers but had lower feed intake and subsequent BW gain. At processing, broilers fed the RPC diet had increased absolute and relative breast weights. Parts yields for the Thr FP and NC groups were similar to the RPC group. These data confirmed the importance of adequate dietary Thr concentration in maximizing broiler performance and that Thr provided by the Thr FP supported equivalent performance to L-Thr.