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OH-Methionine and DL-Methionine are similar in sustaining laying performance and egg quality of Babcock layers

Published: January 17, 2020
By: Dolores Batonon-Alavo, Adisseo, and Rama Rao S.V., Sri Ramadhootha Poultry Research Farm Pvt Ltd, India
The objective of this trial was to compare the effects of OH-Methionine compared to DL-Methionine on laying performance and egg quality of Babcock laying hens on a 14-week period under tropical climate. The work was presented in a poster at 22nd ESPN (European Symposium in Poultry Nutrition) in Gdansk (Poland) and in an oral communication by Dolores Batonon-Alavo at PSA (Poultry Science Association) in Montréal (Canada).
Trial methodology
The study was performed on 448 Babcock layers reared from 17 to 31 weeks in collective cages at Sri Ramadhoota Poultry Research Farm Pvt Ltd, Hyderabad, India. Birds were randomly allocated to 2 treatments with 14 replicates of 16 hens each. Diets were based on corn, soybean meal and limestone formulated according to Rhodimet nutrition guide recommendations (Adisseo). The amino acid calculations were based on usual performance of laying hens observed in the experimental facility for daily feed intake and egg mass (taken as factors for amino acids optimization). Treatments consisted of two diets at requirement in Total Sulfur Amino Acids (TSAA), supplemented either with DL-Methionine (DL-Met, 99%) or OH-Methionine (OH-Met, 88%) at respective incorporation rates of 0.14% and 0.16% (Weight basis), assuming 100% bio-efficacy. In week 17, laying hens received experimental diets for a habituation period of two weeks. Then, the experiment ran from week 19 until week 31. During the whole experimental period, laying hens had free access to feed and water.
During the experiment, animals were exposed to tropical climate with high temperatures and air relative humidity levels. The mean temperature varied from 33.23 ± 3.6 °C and 26.45 ± 2.8 °C respectively for maximum and minimum for the habituation and first experimental period (week 18 to week 25). Then from week 26 to week 31, temperature range decreased to maximum 28.9 ± 3.2 °C and minimum 24.4 ± 1.8 °C. Regarding air relative humidity, from week 18 to week 31, this parameter increased slowly with averages values for morning and night of: 55%-40%; 60%-50%; 70-65% for each identified rearing period.
Layer’s body weights were recorded at week 17, week 23 and week 28. Egg weight, egg mass and egg production were measured at weekly intervals. Egg quality parameters: egg density, egg strength, Haugh units, shell weight, shell thickness, shell percent were recorded at week 22, week 26 and week 30, taking one egg per replicate for each treatment (N=14). Feed intakes of layers were assessed each day and Feed Conversion Ratio was calculated weekly. All the data were analyzed considering the three periods described before.
Each collective cage, containing 16 laying hens was considered as an experimental unit. Laying performance data were analyzed independently on the three periods corresponding to habituation period (18-20 weeks) first phase (21-25 weeks) and second phase (26-30 weeks). These three phases were chosen according to the start of laying, the first period corresponding to high ambient temperature and the second one corresponding to lower temperature. Egg quality parameters were analyzed using a two ways Anova analysis with Age and Treatment as main factors including the interaction between them (Age x Treat.). Differences between means were considered statistically different for P < 0.05 according to Student test.
No difference on laying performance or egg quality parameters between layers fed OH-Met or DL-Met.
No significant difference of body weight between dietary treatments was observed, indicating that DL-Met and OH-Met similarly sustain hens growth performance.
Feed intakes of laying hens are also similar for the two treatments throughout the trial (Graph 1)
OH-Methionine and DL-Methionine are similar in sustaining laying performance and egg quality of Babcock layers - Image 1
These values are below the references of Babcock, which are defined for layers reared under temperate conditions. The tropical conditions seem to have impacted animals’ feed intake and hence laying performances.
However, the Feed Conversion Ratio of layers in the experiment are in line with Babcock references for the period from 23 to 31 weeks (Graph 2). The difference between our results and Babcock reference during the period 20-25 weeks, can be mainly explained by the low feed intake during this period and the start of lay, that decreased mechanically the FCR.
OH-Methionine and DL-Methionine are similar in sustaining laying performance and egg quality of Babcock layers - Image 2
Egg weights are similar on the experimental period for layers fed with DL-Met or OH-Met (Graph 3).
OH-Methionine and DL-Methionine are similar in sustaining laying performance and egg quality of Babcock layers - Image 3
Egg quality parameters were affected by the laying hens age but not by dietary treatments (Table 1).
OH-Methionine and DL-Methionine are similar in sustaining laying performance and egg quality of Babcock layers - Image 4
In a nutshell, there is no significant difference of layers’ body weights between treatments indicating that DL-Methionine and OH-Methionine are similar in sustaining hens growth performance.
Conclusion
Based on the data, it was observed that there was no significant difference between DL-Methionine and OH-Methionine on egg production and egg quality variables in layers fed 100% TSAA and the inclusion levels methionine sources was as referred in the methodology.

ADISSEO, 2013. Rhodimet Nutrition Guide, Amino acid recommendations for feed formulation 2013. NRC recommendations on Babcock laying hens, 1994.

Related topics
Authors:
Dolores Batonon-Alavo
Adisseo
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Juarez Donzele
Universidade Federal de Viçosa - UFV
1 de abril de 2020
Dr Joshua, I agree with your considerations, but I would like to clarify that, in my considerations about this work, I mentioned in my report, that I had already made some considerations in the work previously published in ENGORMIX, which is a part of this study, which contains the composition of the experimental feed. that was used in this research. At that time I made considerations, that,. from my point of view, the results of our work team added to some others available in the literature that the relationship Met + Cist dig .: Lisina dig. it was below the value we found 100: 100. So we concluded that the level of lysine in the feed was overestimated. Thus, it would not be up to us to consider other amino acids.
Juarez Donzele
Universidade Federal de Viçosa - UFV
26 de marzo de 2020
Dr Martin, I would like to make a suggestion regarding the proposal of studies to evaluate the bioequivalence of products, in the case of two sources of Methionine. I think that in these studies at least three treatments should be used, Exemplifying: T1 basal diet with DL Methionine in the requirement of the animal: T2 diet with sub optimal level of methionine (90%) using DL Methionine: T3 diet T2 replacing DL Methionine with OH -Methionine in the proportion of bioequivalence. The need for T1 is to prove that in T2 methionine is deficient. This proposal is based on the fact that this type of diet seems more appropriate and would provide more confidence in the results of studies of this nature. I also made some other considerations in the work conducted by RAMA RAO
Martin Smith
Evonik Animal Nutrition
24 de marzo de 2020
Thank you for the detail, it helps a great deal. Evaluating the diet against Babcock recommendations, we find the diet deficient in energy ( - 100 kcal), threonine (4%), isoleucine (12%) and valine (6%). This is further exacerbated by the fact that feed intake is about 10% reduced against breed expectation, no doubt due to high ambient temperature. Of course, animals need a certain amount of each nutrient per day, not % in feed; so clearly a number of nutrients were limiting performance. From this analysis, it is clear that to draw the conclusion that replacing DL Methionine with a similar amount of "OH-Methionine" is NOT correct. You should consider repeating the trial with diets correctly formulated and manufactured. I would also recommend the addition of a non-supplemented negative control. I am sure that, had this been used in THIS trial, there would have no sig. dif between control and either M+C source, as other nutrients were, in fact, limiting performance. MPS
Dolores Batonon-Alavo
Adisseo
20 de marzo de 2020

For those interested in the feed composition and additional details on the design, please find out more here https://en.engormix.com/poultry-industry/articles/similar-laying-hens-performance-t44946.htm.

Martin Smith
Evonik Animal Nutrition
3 de febrero de 2020
Hello Without data on feed composition it is impossible to draw any conclusions from this report. Please can you post the FULL composition of the diets, ie % inclusion of each and every raw material. Then at least we can determine if another nutrient is actually the limiting factor in performance. MPS
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