In Vitro Gas Production Tests on Irradiated-Chicken Feathers to Estimate its Nutritive Value for Ruminants
Custer C. Deocaris, Azucena C. De Vera, Marivic M. Ellana and Celia O. Asaad
1Nuclear Biotechnology Laboratory, Philippine Nuclear Research Insitute,
Commonwealth Ave., Diliman, Quezon City
2Parañaque Science High School, Annex Parañaque National High School,
Dr. A. Santos Ave., San Dionisio, Parañaque
corresponding author: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
ABSTRACT
Chicken feathers are a highly abundant agro-waste product containing high amounts of protein from keratin. However, these are not practically utilized as animal feeds since they provide little, if any, nutritional value due to low digestibility in its natural state. Using an in vitro fermentation approach, the ruminant feed potential of chicken feathers treated with gamma-radiation was estimated. Gas production within an incubation period of 96 hours was monitored and values were fitted in the rumen degradability model by McDonald and Orskov (1981). Radiation treatment which could induce depolymerization of chicken feather keratin allowed for the improvement in the nutritive value for ruminants by liberating an additional 7.2% in metabolizable energy (ME) (P<0.005) for ruminant livestock. However, increasing the absorbed dose to 50 kGy resulted in significantly lower energy value for the feather substrate possibility accrued from the induced protein-protein cross-linking phenomenon.
INTRODUCTION
In the Philippines, the ruminant livestock productivity is low due to poor nutrition caused by inadequate supply of good quality feed. The situation is worsened by the fact that smallholder farmers have limited quality roughage in their locale available for feeding their ruminant livestock all year round. Unlike in developed countries, farmers here are also unable to select their basal diet according . . . . .
REFERENCES
[AOAC] Association of Analytical Chemists. 1990. In: Official Method of Analysis, 15th edition. AOAC: US.
ZHU YP, WORD RA & JOHNSTON JMALEJANDRINO AL, ASAAD CO, MALABAYABAS BB, DE VERA AC, HERRERA MS, DEOCARIS CC, IGNACIO LM, PALO LP. 1999. Constraints on dairy cattle productivity at the smallholder level in the Philippines. Prev. Vet. Med. 38: 167-178.
BLUMMEL M. 1994. Relationship between kinetics of stover fermentation as described by the Hohenheim in vitro gas production test and voluntary feed intake of 54 cereal straws. Ph.D. Dissertation. University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany.
DAVIES KJA, DELSIGNORE ME. 1987. Protein damage and degradation by oxygen radicals III. Modification of secondary structure and tertiary structure. J. Biol. Chem. 262: 9908-13.
GARRISON WM. 1987. Reaction mechanisms in the radiolysis of peptides, polypeptides and proteins. Chem. Rev. 87: 381-398.
KEMPER ES. 1993. Damage to proteins due to the direct action of ionizing radiation. Quart. Rev. Biophys. 26: 27-48.
KHAZAAL K, DETINHO MT, RIBIERO JM, ORSKOV ER. 1993. A comparison of gas production during incubation with rumen contents in vitro and nylon bag degradability as predictors of the apparent digestibility in vivo and the voluntary feed intakes of hays. Animal Prod. 57: 105-112.
KHAZAAL K, BOZA J, ORSKOV ER. 1994. Assessment of phenolic related anti-nutritive effects in Mediterranean browse: A comparison between the use of the in vitro gas technique with or without insoluble polyvinylpolyprolidone or nylon bag. Anim. Feed Sci. Technol. 49: 133-150.
MCDONALD I. 1981. A revised model for the estimation of protein degradability in the rumen. J. Agric. Sci. 96: 251-252.
MCDONALD I, ORSKOV ER. 1970. The estimation of protein degradability in the rumen from incubation measurements weighted according to rate of passage. J. Agric. Sci. Camb. 92: 499-503.
MCLACHLAN AD. 1978. Coiled-coil formation and sequence regularities in the helical regions of α- keratin. J. Mol. Biol. 124: 297-304.
MENKE KH, RAAB L, SALEWSKI A, STEINGASS H, FRITZ D, SCHNEIDER W. 1988. The estimation of the digestibility and metabolizable energy content of ruminant feedstuffs from the gas production when they are incubated with rumen liquor. J. Agric. Sci. 93: 217-222.
MOON S, SONG KB. 2000. Effect of gamma-radiation on the molecular properties of egg white proteins. Food Sci. Biotechnol. 9(4): 239-242.
MORITZ JS, LATSHAW JD. 2001. Indicators of nutritional value of hydrolyzed feather meal. Poult. Sci. 80(1): 79-86.
[PHILSAN] Philippine Society of Animal Nutritionists. 1996. In: Feed Reference Standards 2nd ed. PHILSAN, Philippines.
PUCHALA M, SCHESSLER H. 1993. Oxygen effect in the radiolysis of proteins. Int. J. Radiat. Biol. 64: 149-156.
SCHUESSLER H, SCHILLING K. 1984. Oxygen effect in the radiolysis of proteins. Int. J. Radiat. Biol. 45: 267- 281.
URBAIN WM. 1978. Food irradiation. Adv. Food Res. 24: 155-227.
