Protein and Amino Acid Digestibilities for Chickens of Reconstituted and Boiled Sorghum Grains Varying in Tannin Contents

Abstract

Two high and one low tannin sorghum type grains were used to study the effect of reconstitution (high moisture storage) and boiling treatments of the grain on protein and amino acid digestibilities. One lot of the grains was untreated. The second lot was reconstituted by adding distilled water at a 25% level (w/w) and stored for 20 days at 25 C with an acetic-propionic acid mixture added at 2% to deter fungal growth. The third lot of the grains was boiled in distilled water for 50 min. The true ileal protein and amino acid digestibilities of the treated grains for broiler chickens were determined. The high tannin sorghum cultivars showed protein digestibility values of 45.5 and 66.7% and the low tannin sorghum had a value of 89.9%. The amino acid digestibility values ranged from 43.1 to 73.7% and 84.8 to 93.0% in high and low tannin sorghums, respectively. Reconstitution improved (P<.05) the protein and amino acid digestibilities in high, but not low, tannin sorghums. The reconstituted high tannin sorghums showed protein digestibilities of 77.4 and 84.5% and the amino acid digestibilities ranged from 73.5 to 90.9%. Boiling treatment had a detrimental effect on the protein and amino acid digestibilities in both high and low tannin sorghums. The protein digestibility values of boiled high tannin sorghums were 25.4 and 46.9% and the amino acid digestibility values ranged from 21.1 to 62.8%. The boiled low tannin sorghum had a protein digestibility value of 58.4% and the amino acid digestibility values ranged from 54.2 to 74.0%.