Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-dlnhk Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-24T08:55:58.986Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Optimum dietary amino acid pattern and limiting order of some essential amino acids for growing-furring blue foxes (Alopex lagopus)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 August 2016

T. Dahlman*
Affiliation:
University of Helsinki, Department of Animal Science, PO Box 28, FIN-00014 Helsinki University, Finland
J. Valaja
Affiliation:
MTT Agrifood Research Finland, Animal Nutrition, FIN-31600 Jokioinen, Finland
E. Venäläinen
Affiliation:
MTT Agrifood Research Finland, Animal Nutrition, FIN-31600 Jokioinen, Finland
T. Jalava
Affiliation:
MTT Agrifood Research Finland, Animal Nutrition, FIN-31600 Jokioinen, Finland
I. Pölönen
Affiliation:
Finnish Fur Breeders Association, PO Box 5, FIN-01601 Vantaa, Finland
Get access

Abstract

The optimum pattern and limiting order of some essential amino acids for growing-furring blue foxes were assessed from nitrogen (N) retention responses. Total tract digestibility and N balance trials were carried out on 24 weaned blue fox males in an 8 ✕ 5 cyclic change-over experiment. Eight experimental diets were prepared by removing proportionately about 0·4 of each of the amino acids studied – methionine + cystine, lysine, threonine, tryptophan and histidine – successively from the amino acid control diet. The main source of protein in the amino acid control diet was casein and an amino acid mixture was added to bring the calculated crude protein (CP) content up to the level of 170 g/kg dry matter (DM). Low-protein (CP 95·7 g/kg DM) and high-protein (CP 166·6 g/kg DM) diets, the protein proportion of which was casein protein, served as negative and positive control diets, respectively. The reduction in N retention when one amino acid in turn was deleted from the amino acid control diet was calculated, and a regression analysis was made between N retention and relative amino acid intake. Data on the animals’ intake of each limiting amino acid and those on the amino acid control diet were used. The optimum amino acid pattern, expressed relative to lysine = 100, proved to be: methionine + cystine 77, threonine 64, histidine 55 and tryptophan 22. The first-limiting amino acids were methionine + cystine. Blue fox responses (N retention, weight gain) to deletion of methionine + cystine from the diet were very severe and exceeded those to deletion of any other amino acid. Moreover, removing methionine + cystine from the diet significantly impaired the apparent digestibility of organic matter, reducing it to a level even lower than that of the low-protein diet. After methionine + cystine, the next-limiting amino acid in casein-based diets was threonine, followed by histidine and tryptophan. The results show the importance of verifying the sufficiency of dietary methionine + cystine in the practical feeding of blue foxes.

Type
Non-ruminant nutrition, behaviour and production
Copyright
Copyright © British Society of Animal Science 2004

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Agricultural Research Council. 1981. The nutrient requirements of pigs. Commonwealth Agricultural Bureaux, Slough.Google Scholar
Association of Official Analytical Chemists. 1990. Official methods of analysis of the AOAC, 15th edition. Association of Official Analytical Chemists Inc., Arlington, Texas.Google Scholar
Blaza, S.E., Burger, I. H., Holme, D. W. and Kendall, P. T. 1982. Sulfur-containing amino acid requirements of growing dogs. Journal of Nutrition 112: 20332042.Google Scholar
Blomstedt, L. 1998. Pelage cycle in blue fox (Alopex lagopus): a comparison between animals born early and late in the season. Acta Agriculturæ Scandinavica, Section A, Animal Science 48: 122128.Google Scholar
Boisen, S. 1997. Ideal protein-and its suitability to characterize protein quality in pig feeds. A review. Acta Agriculturæ Scandinavica, Section A, Animal Science 47: 3138.Google Scholar
Boisen, S., Hvelplund, T. and Weisbjerg, M. R. 2000. Ideal amino acid profiles as a basis for feed protein evaluation. Livestock Production Science 64: 239251.Google Scholar
Boisen, S. and Moughan, P. J. 1996. Dietary influences on endogenous ileal protein and amino acid loss in the pig. A review. Acta Agriculturæ Scandinavica, Section A, Animal Science 46: 154164.Google Scholar
Børsting, C. and Clausen, T. 1996. Requirements of essential amino acids for mink in the growing-furring period. Proceedings from the sixth international scientific congress in fur animal production. Applied science reports, vol. 28, pp. 1524. Polish Society of Animal Production, Warsaw.Google Scholar
Chung, T. K. and Baker, D. H. 1992. Apparent and true amino acid digestibility of a crystalline amino acid mixture and of casein: comparisons of values obtained with ileal-cannulated pigs and cecectomized cockerels. Journal of Animal Science 70: 37813790.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Dahlman, T., Kiiskinen, T., Mäkelä, J., Niemelä, P., Syrjälä-Qvist, L., Valaja, J. and Jalava, T. 2002a. Digestibility and nitrogen utilisation of diets containing protein at different levels and supplemented with DL-methionine, L-methionine and L-lysine in blue fox (Alopex lagopus). Animal Feed Science and Technology 98: 219235.Google Scholar
Dahlman, T., Valaja, J., Niemelä, P. and Jalava, T. 2002b. Influence of protein level and supplementary methionine and lysine on growth performance and fur quality of blue fox (Alopex lagopus). Acta Agriculturæ Scandinavica, Section A, Animal Science 52: 174182.Google Scholar
Deschepper, K. and De Groote, G. 1995. Effect of dietary protein, essential and non-essential amino acids on the performance and carcase composition of male broiler chickens. British Poultry Science 36: 229245.Google Scholar
Energie-und Nährstoffbedarf Landwirtschaftlicher Nutztiere. 1999. Empfehlungen zur Energie-und Nährstoffversorgung der Legehennen und Masthühner (Broiler)/ Ausschuss für Bedarfsnormen der Gesellschaft für Ernährungsphysiologie. DLG-Verlag, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.Google Scholar
European Commission. 1998. Community methods of analysis for the determination of amino acids, crude oils and fats, and olaquindox in feeding stuffs and amending Directive 71/393/ EEC. Commission Directive 98/64/EC. European Commission, Brussels.Google Scholar
Fevrier, C., Bourdon, D. and Aumaire, A. 1992. Effects of level of dietary fibre from wheat bran on digestibility of nutrients, digestive enzymes and performance in the European Large White and Chinese Mei Shan pig. Journal of Animal Physiology and Animal Nutrition 68: 6072.Google Scholar
Fuller, M. F., McWilliam, R., Wang, T. C. and Giles, L. R. 1989. The optimum dietary amino acid pattern for growing pigs. 2. Requirements for maintenance and for tissue protein accretion. British Journal of Nutrition 62: 255267.Google Scholar
Glem-Hansen, N. 1980a. The protein requirements of mink during the growth period. Acta Agriculturæ Scandinavica, Section A, Animal Science 30: 336344.Google Scholar
Glem-Hansen, N. 1980b. The requirements for sulphur containing amino acids of mink during the growth period. Acta Agriculturæ Scandinavica, Section A, Animal Science 30: 349356.Google Scholar
Glem-Hansen, N. 1992. Protein and amino acid requirements for mink. A review. Scientifur 16: 122142.Google Scholar
Gruber, K., Roth, F. X. and Kirchgessner, M. 2000. Effect of partial dietary amino acid deductions on growth rate and nitrogen balance in growing chicks. Archiv für Geflügelkunde 64: 244250.Google Scholar
Hansen, N. E., Finne, L., Skrede, A. and Tauson, A.-H. 1991. [Energy supply for the mink and the fox.] NJF-utredning/ rapport no. 63, DSR forlag, Den Kgl. Veterinær-og Landbohøjskole, Copenhagen, Denmark.Google Scholar
McCullough, H. 1967. The determination of ammonia in whole blood by direct colorimetric method. Clinica Chimica Acta 17: 297304.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Milner, J. A. 1979. Assessment of the essentiality of methionine, threonine, tryptophan, histidine and isoleucine in immature dogs. Journal of Nutrition 109: 13511357.Google Scholar
Roth, F. X., Gruber, K. and Kirchgessner, M. 2001. The ideal dietary amino acid pattern for broiler-chicks of age 7 to 28 days. Archiv für Geflügelkunde 65: 199206.Google Scholar
Statistical Analysis Systems Institute. 1989. SAS/STAT user´s guide, version 6, fourth edition, volume 2. Statistical Analysis Systems Institute, Inc., Cary, NC.Google Scholar
Susenbeth, A., Schneider, R. and Menke, K. H. 1991. The effect of protein-bound lysine versus free lysine on protein retention in growing pigs. Proceedings of the sixth international symposium in protein metabolism and nutrition, Herning, Denmark, pp. 1820.Google Scholar
Szymeczko, R. and Skrede, A. 1991. Protein digestion in fistulated polar foxes. Scientifur 15: 227232.Google Scholar
Tuori, M., Kuoppala, K., Valaja, J., Aimonen, E., Saarisalo, E. and Huhtanen, P. 2002. [Feed tables and feeding recommendations.] Yliopistopaino, Helsinki, Finland.Google Scholar
Wang, T. C. and Fuller, M. F. 1989. The optimum dietary amino acid pattern for growing pigs. 1. Experiments by amino acid deletion. British Journal of Nutrition 62: 7789.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Wang, T. C. and Fuller, M. F. 1990. The effect of the plane of nutrition on the optimum dietary amino acid pattern for growing pigs. Animal Production 50: 155164.Google Scholar