Project Number: 6645-21220-012-28
Project Type: Specific Cooperative Agreement

Start Date: Apr 01, 2011
End Date: Mar 31, 2014

Objective:
Improve the overall animal feeding value of U.S. soybean meal from optimum amino acid balance and low phytate phosphorus perspectives. Demonstrate that low phytate soybean meal is a more reliable and economical means to reduce fecal phosphorus output from animals than are fed enzymes such as phytase. Demonstrate the optimum dietary mineral and electrolyte balance required to successfully utilize low phytate soybean meal in animal diets. Demonstrate that feed enzyme efficacy in a diet with low phytate soybean meal differs from when there is a normal phytate soybean meal in the diet of an animal. Demonstrate possible beneficial effects of reduced fecal nitrogen that could lead to reduced ammonia production from animal facilities. Examine the interaction between increased feed particle size to stimulate broiler gizzard and gastrointestinal function and low phytate soybean meal on fecal phosphorus and nitrogen.

Approach:
Grow a significant quantity of low phytate soybeans as well as an equal quantity of commercial soybeans so that both may be harvested, dried, and processed into meal for direct feeding to broilers. Utilize our standardized soybean processing approach developed at TAMU with Dr. Richard Clough to produce low phytate and control meals. Examine the amino acid digestibility of low phytate and commercial meals with and without various feed enzymes in the presence or absence of feed with varying particle size and the fecal output of nitrogen and phosphorus. Develop optimum feed formulation guidelines for various mineral factors that have been found to affect digestion, e.g. calcium: available phosphorous ratio, salt: sodium bicarbonate balance, potassium in a low phytate environment. Continue work towards development of a bioassay to assess the amino acid digestibility on small lots of identity-preserved soybeans using solvent-extracted meal and a modified ileal digestibility test.