Department of Animal Nutrition, University of Agriculture, Makurdi, Nigeria; Department of Animal Production, University of Agriculture, Makurdi, Nigeria; Department of Fishery and Wildlife, University of Agriculture, Makurdi, Nigeria
Tuleun, C.D., Department of Animal Nutrition, University of Agriculture, Makurdi, Nigeria; Patrick, J.P., Department of Animal Production, University of Agriculture, Makurdi, Nigeria; Tiamiyu, L.O., Department of Fishery and Wildlife, University of Agriculture, Makurdi, Nigeria
Chemical analysis and a performance trial were carried out to determine the effect of boiling Mucuna utilis seeds on their proximate composition, minerals assay and amino acid profile, level of antinutritional factors and blood seral and haematological parameters of finisher broiler chickens. Four types of mucuna seed meal were prepared. Type 1 was prepared from raw seeds, types 2, 3 and 4 were from seeds soaked in water for 24 h and then boiled in water for 20, 40 and 60 min respectively. The four dietary treatments had 20% inclusion of the four types of mucuna seed meal respectively. A four week feeding trial was conducted using one hundred and twenty, five week old, broiler birds averaging 590 gm live weight. Results of the study show that raw mucuna seeds are a good source of nutrients. Increase in boiling time significantly (p<0.05) reduced the crude protein content, phosphorus, iron, selenium, methionine, cystine, lysi, isoleucine, alanine, tyrosine and threonine content. Concentration of antinutritional factors in the seeds were significantly (p<0.05) reduced. Significant (p<0.05) improvements in feed: gain and protein efficiency ratios with a corresponding increase in mean daily weight gain were observed as the boiling time increased. At the end of the experiment, the haematological parameters revealed no significant differences among treatments in the levels of Packed Cell Volume (PCV), Haemoglobin (Hb), Red Blood Cell (RBC) counts, mean corpuscular volume (MHV) and Mean corpuscuscular Haemoglobin concentration (McHc). Similarly, albumin, globulin, serum glutamic pyruvic transaminase estimated were found to be insignificantly varied with the exception of total protein. © Asian Network for Scientific Information, 2009.
alanine; alanine aminotransferase; albumin; cysteine; globulin; iron; isoleucine; lysine; methionine; phosphorus; selenium; threonine; tyrosine; animal experiment; animal food; article; chicken; controlled study; erythrocyte count; fatty acid analysis; food analysis; food composition; food processing; heat treatment; hematocrit; hemoglobin determination; mean corpuscular hemoglobin; mean corpuscular volume; nonhuman; nutritional value; protein content; velvet bean; weight gain; Aves; Gallus gallus; Mucuna