Nutritional Value of Soybean Meal from Various Geographic Origin and Effect of Their Dietary Supplementation on Performance of Broilers

This study was carried out to investigate the nutritional value of soybean meal (SBM) from various geographic origins and the effects of their dietary supplementation on performance of broiler chickens. Nutritional value of dehulled SBM originating from USA, and non-dehulled SBM from India (IND), Argentina (ARG) and Korea (KOR) were evaluated by analyzing chemical composition, urease activity (UA) and KOH solubility, and determining true metabolizable energy (TME), nitrogen corrected TME (TMEn) and true amino acid availability (TAAA). The contents of crude protein ranged from 45.43% (ARG) to 48.47% (USA) and those of crude fiber varied widely from 3.48% (USA) to 7.12% (IND). The measurements of lysine varied from 2.79% (IND) to 3.09% (USA) and those of methionine from 0.56% (IND) to 0.65% (USA). The values of TMEn varied from 2986.6kcal/kg (IND) to 3228.9kcal/kg (USA) and the averages of TAAA were from 91.61% (IND) to 92.27% (USA). UA was found to be from 0.02 (ARG) to 0.04 (KOR, USA) and those of KOH solubility from 73% (ARG) to 84% (USA). A total of four hundred 20-days-old male broiler chicks were divided into four groups and fed with isocaloric and isonitrogenous experimental diets containing 27.5% of SBM and same amounts of lysine and sulfur amino acids for 15 days. Final body weight and body weight gain were the highest in birds fed with SBM from USA and lowest in birds fed with SBM from IND although the differences were not statistically significant. The feed/gain in chicks fed diet containing SBM from USA was significantly improved (p less than 0.05) compared to those of the other groups. There were no significant differences in carcass characteristics and the concentration of total cholesterol in serum among the treatments. The results of in vitro assay and bioassay agreed with the performance of broiler chicks, and thus there were close correlation between the broiler performance and the measured nutritive values of SBM. In conclusion, dehulled SBM from USA was superior to non- dehulled SBM from ARG and IND with regard to nutritive values.