Soybean Peptide as Additive on Yellow Feather Broiler Chicks: Nutritional And Biochemical Profiles

Abstract

The peptide under investigation was biotechnologically manufactured from non-GM soybean and sold on the Chinese market by China CF Duqing (Heze) Biotech Co. Ltd, Shandong Prov-ince, China. For the purpose of this study, the peptide was designated marketed soybean peptide (MSBP). In order to show its efficacy as growth promotant, it was used as additive in experimen-tal diets at the inclusion levels of 0.1%, 0.2%, 0.3%, 0.4% and 0.5%. The control diet was mainly basal broiler starter feed. The duration of the study was 3 weeks. The total number of day-old-chicks used was 1,620 and the experimental design was such that it had 6 treatments of 6 repli-cates with 45 chicks per replicate. Six chicks were randomly selected from each replicate at the end of the study and blood samples as well as some organs were taken for biochemical assays. There were significant improvement in average daily weight gain (ADWG) and feed conversion efficiency (FCE) in chicks fed diets containing 0.1% and 0.4% MSBP compared to those fed the other diets, including the control [P<0.05]. The use of MSBP at the stated levels did not influ-ence the total lipid levels in the heart and liver, serum triglyceride and HDL in all the chicks fed those diets relative to the control (P>0.05). The study further revealed that increasing the con-centration of MSBP in the diets did not cause a corresponding increase or decrease in the serum levels of AST, ACP, total protein, albumin and globulin. Also, MSBP, at all the levels of inclu-sion studied, resulted in significant serum cholesterol reduction compared to the control treat-ment (P<0.05) i.e. the cholesterol lowering ability of MSBP was established.