Abstract
Protein degradation of feather meal treated with hydrogen peroxide was evaluated using the in situ bag technique. Bags containing untreated feather meal or feather meal treated with 1.4, 2.5, 2.7, 5.0, or 7.0% hydrogen peroxide (g/100 g feather meal, as fed basis) at various pH and times of heating (55oC) were suspended in the rumen of a cannulated steer for 12 hours. Protein degradabilities of feather meal treated with 2.5 and 2.7% peroxide were only 12 to 19% greater than untreated feather meal, but feather meal treated with 5% peroxide had protein degradabilities 56 to 67% greater than untreated feather meal. Treatment of feather meal with 7% peroxide did not increase protein degradation further. Altering pH and heating (55oC) peroxide-treated feather meal for 30 or 120 minutes had only minor effects on protein degradability.
Highlights
Performance of feedlot cattle can be improved when high-grain diets are supplemented with rumen degradable, true protein sources
Protein degradation of feather meal treated with hydrogen peroxide was evaluated using the in situ bag technique
Protein degradabilities of feather meal treated with 2.5 and 2.7% peroxide were only 12 to 19% greater than untreated feather meal, but feather meal treated with 5% peroxide had protein degradabilities 56 to 67% greater than untreated feather meal
Summary
Performance of feedlot cattle can be improved when high-grain diets are supplemented with rumen degradable, true protein sources. Protein sources that have low rumen degradation values, have little value for such cattle. In Exp. 1, 10 g of 0, 4.0, 7.8, and 14.7 molar solutions of hydrogen peroxide were added to 100 g of feather meal (as fed basis). This allowed treatment of feather meal with 0, 1.4, 2.7, and 5.0% hydrogen peroxide (g/100 g feather meal), respectively. In Exp. 2, 0, 5, 10, and 14 g of a 14.7 molar solution of hydrogen peroxide were mixed with 100 g of feather meal (as fed basis), which allowed treatment of feather meal with 0, 2.5, 5.0, and 7.0% hydrogen peroxide (g/100 g feather meal). Feather meal that had been treated with 2.5 and 5.0% hydrogen peroxide was incubated at 55oC for 30 and 120 minutes
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