Influence of micronization (fine grinding) of soya bean meal and full-fat soya bean on the ileal digestibility of amino acids for broilers

A trial was conducted to test the effect of fine grinding (micronization) of soya bean meal (SBM) and full-fat soya bean (FFSB) on coefficient of ileal apparent digestibility (CIAD) and coefficient of ileal true digestibility (CITD) of amino acids in 23-day-old broilers. A completely randomized block design with four treatments arranged factorially (SBM and FFSB; micronized and ground) and six replicates (eight broilers per treatment) was used. Mean particle size (MPS) was 47 and 41 μm for micronized SBM and FFSB and 881 and 778 μm for ground SBM and FFSB, respectively. The four diets were based on maize starch and sucrose with the soya product tested as the sole source of dietary crude protein (CP, 200 g/kg). In addition, a nitrogen-free diet was formulated to estimate the basal ileal endogenous losses of the amino acids. Broilers were fed a commercial pelleted maize-SBM diet from 1 to 19 days of age and, then, their respective experimental diets in mash form from 20 to 23 days of age. Broilers fed SBM had higher CIAD of organic matter, CP, arginine, leucine, methionine and valine (P<0.05) and tended to have higher CIAD of threonine (P<0.10) than broilers fed FFSB. In addition, broilers fed SBM had higher CITD of CP (P<0.05), leucine, methionine and valine (P<0.01) than broilers fed FFSB. Particle size did not affect the ileal digestibility of CP or of any of the essential amino acids. It is concluded that broilers fed soya bean meal had higher ileal digestibility of amino acids than broilers fed full-fat soya bean and that fine grinding of the soya products did not affect amino acid digestibility.