Performance of lambs fed alternative protein sources to soybean meal

Felipe José Lins Alves,Rafael De Paula Xavier De Andrade,Michelle Christina Bernardo De Siqueira,Stela Antas Urbano,Janaina De Lima Silva,Marcelo De Andrade Ferreira,Ághata Elins Moreira Da Silva,Juliana Paula Felipe De Oliveira

doi:10.1590/s1806-92902016000400001

Abstract

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of alternative protein sources (castor bean cake, sunflower cake, and sunflower seed) to soybean meal on the intake and performance of 40 lambs, initially weighing 19.8±1.84 kg, fed diets based on Tifton grass hay. The experimental design was completely randomized blocks. There were no differences in the nutrient intake of castor bean diets compared with soybean meal. The intake of nutrients in the sunflower cake and sunflower seed diets was decreased compared with soybean meal. The apparent digestibility coefficients of dry matter, organic matter, crude protein, and neutral detergent fiber of sunflower cake and sunflower seed diets were decreased compared with soybean meal. The average daily weight gain of animals fed the castor bean diet (0.190 kg) was not different from that of the animals fed the soybean meal diet (0.217 kg). The sunflower cake and sunflower seed diets provided less weight gain (0.171 and 0.135 kg d-1, respectively) than soybean meal due to the lower nutrient intake. The hot carcass yield and true yield were not affected by the protein sources. The neck, ribs, and ham weights were similar in lambs fed soybean meal and castor bean cake diets. It is recommended to use castor bean as an alternative protein source in the diet of lambs.

Highlights

Soybean meal is the main protein source in animal feed
The Dry matter (DM) intake of diets containing sunflower cakes (0.857 kg d–1) or sunflower seeds (0.789 kg d–1) were lower compared with the soybean meal (0.989 kg d–1)
The lambs fed sunflower cake and sunflower seed had a lower intake (P

Summary

Introduction

Soybean meal is the main protein source in animal feed. the high price of transporting from regions of soybean production, the increase in the world population, and the growing demand for protein-rich foods that do not compete with human food sources have encouraged the search for alternative feeds to replace soybean meal in animal diets (Haddad, 2006).The search for renewable alternatives to the use of oil biofuels, prominently in the global economy, is an ecologically correct option for environmental preservation. The high price of transporting from regions of soybean production, the increase in the world population, and the growing demand for protein-rich foods that do not compete with human food sources have encouraged the search for alternative feeds to replace soybean meal in animal diets (Haddad, 2006). One of the products of castor bean production, the castor bean cake, has been used predominantly as a quality organic fertilizer because it is rich in nitrogen and efficient at recovering depleted lands. It can obtain a significantly higher value if used as food because of its high protein content (Diniz et al, 2011)

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