TREATMENT OF POULTRY, PIGS OR FISH FOR REDUCING THE FEED CONVERSION RATIO OR INCREASING THEIR BODYWEIGHT GAIN

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for the non-therapeutic treatment of animals selected from the group consisting of poultry, pigs and fish. The treatment comprises orally administering at least one -alanine compound to the animals in an amount of between 2 and 55 mmol/kg dry weight of said feed for the treatment of poultry and fish and between 2 and 25 mmol/kg dry weight of said feed for the treatment of pigs. These amounts of the -alanine compound are used for reducing the conversion ratio or for increasing the bodyweight gain of the animals. The -alanine compound is in particular -alanine. In prior art methods higher amounts were used resulting also in a reduction of the feed conversion ratio but this to the detriment of the bodyweight gain.

Claims

1. A method for the non-therapeutic treatment of animals selected from the group consisting of poultry, pigs and fish, which treatment comprises orally administering at least one -alanine compound to the animals in an amount of between 2 and 55 mmol/kg dry weight of said feed for the treatment of poultry and fish and between 2 and 25 mmol/kg dry weight of said feed for the treatment of pigs, which -alanine compound corresponds to the following formula (I): ##STR00007## or to a salt or an amide thereof, the amide being of the following formula (II): ##STR00008## the R.sub.1 and R.sub.2 groups in formula's (I) and (II) being independently hydrogen, an acetyl or a straight or branched alkyl radical containing 1 to 4 carbon atoms, and the R.sub.3 and R.sub.4 groups in formula (II) being independently hydrogen or a straight or branched alkyl radical containing 1 to 4 carbon atoms.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the -alanine compound is selected from the group consisting of -alanine, N,N-dimethyl -alanine, N,N-diethyl -alanine, N,N-di-n-propyl -alanine, N,N-diisopropyl -alanine, N,N-di-n-butyl -alanine, N,N-diisobutyl -alanine, N,N-di-tert-butyl -alanine, 3-acetamidopropanoic acid or mixtures or salts thereof, the -alanine compound being preferably -alanine or a salt thereof.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the -alanine compound is administered via said feed and/or via the drinking water of the animals.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the -alanine compound is administered in an amount of at least 5, preferably at least 10 and more preferably at least 15 mmol/kg dry weight of said feed.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the -alanine compound is administered in an amount of less than 50, preferably less than 40, more preferably less than 30, still more preferably less than 25 and most preferably less than 20 mmol/kg dry weight of said feed for the treatment of poultry and fish and in an amount of less than 22, preferably less than 20 and more preferably less than 17 mmol/kg dry weight of said feed for the treatment of pigs.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the -alanine compound is orally administered to poultry, in particular to poultry that are at least one week, preferably at least two weeks of age.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the -alanine compound is orally administered to said animals for the purpose of reducing the conversion ration of the feed used to feed the animals without lowering their bodyweight gain.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the -alanine compound is orally administered to said animals for the purpose of increasing their bodyweight gain.

9. Use of a -alanine compound for reducing the conversion ratio of feed used to feed animals selected from the group consisting of poultry, pigs and fish, without lowering their bodyweight gain, or for increasing the bodyweight gain of the animals, which -alanine compound is orally administered to said animals in an amount of between 2 and 55 mmol/kg dry weight of said feed for the treatment of poultry and fish and between 2 and 25 mmol/kg dry weight of said feed for the treatment of pigs, which -alanine compound corresponds to the following formula (I): ##STR00009## or to a salt or an amide thereof, the amide being of the following formula (II): ##STR00010## the R.sub.1 and R.sub.2 groups in formula's (I) and (II) being independently hydrogen, an acetyl or a straight or branched alkyl radical containing 1 to 4 carbon atoms, and the R.sub.3 and R.sub.4 groups in formula (II) being independently hydrogen or a straight or branched alkyl radical containing 1 to 4 carbon atoms.

10. Use according to claim 9, wherein said -alanine compound is added to said animal feed.

11-16. (canceled)

Description

EXPERIMENTAL RESULTS

Poultry:

Materials and Methods

[0025] A group of 252 Ross 308 chickens were randomly distributed over 14 pens with 18 animals each. All chickens were previously housed in identical conditions, and fed the same diet as the control group in the trial. Every other pen was attributed to either a control diet or that control diet supplemented with 500 mg -alanine per kg (=595 mg or 6.7 mmol -alanine per kg dry weight). Water was freely available from drinking cups, and animals were fed ad libitum. The control diet was a commercial broiler diet (Vanden Avenne, Braadkip 114 MB) with 4% corn oil added to increase the level of oxidative stress, as used in earlier studies (Kalmar et al., 2011). The composition of this diet is summarized in Tables 1 and 2.

TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 Ingredient composition of the experimental diet. Ingredient Content, g/kg Wheat 538 Corn 29 Corn oil 40 Toasted soybean meal 228 Toasted soybeans 29 Peas 19 Alphalpha meal 10 Animal fat 58 Soy oil 17 Dicalcium phosphate 10 Limestone 8 Sodium bicarbonate 1.2 Sodium chloride 1.7 Premix* 4.8 L-lysine HCl 3.4 DL-methionine 3.1 L-threonine 1.2 3-phytase 500 (ftu/kg) Endoxylanase 10 (ftu/kg) *Premix contains per kg of feed: vitamin A: 9615 IU/kg, vitamin D3: 2404 IU/kg, vitamin E: 38 mg/kg, Cu (Cu sulphate): 7 mg/kg, Fe (Fe sulphate): 33 mg/kg, I (Ca iodate): 2 mg/kg, Mg (Mg oxide): 71 mg/kg, Zn (zinc oxide): 53 mg/kg, Se (sodium selenite): 0.2 mg/kg, BHT: 96 mg/kg.

TABLE-US-00002 TABLE 2 Nutrient composition of the experimental diet. Nutrient Content Dry matter, g/kg 841 Ash, g/kg 51 Crude protein, g/kg 190 Ether extract, g/kg 132 Crude fibre, g/kg 33 Nitrogen-free extract, g/kg 435 Metabolisable energy, MJ/kg 13.52 Methionine, g/kg 5.8 Lysine, g/kg 11.9 P, g/kg 4.6 Ca, g/kg 7.2 Na, g/kg 1.3

[0026] From the age of 24 days to the age of 48 days, the change in bodyweight was measured per bird, but pooled per pen as the experimental unit. At 42 days of age, one male bird per pen was euthanized by intravenous injection of sodium pentobarbital From the breast and thigh muscle, a sample was dissected and stored airtight at 20 C. until analysis. The breast muscle sample was taken at about one third from the distal end of the breast.

[0027] Muscle and thigh samples were analysed for their concentration of anserine, carnosine and taurine by high-performance liquid chromatography.

Results

[0028] No animals died or became ill during the trial. Table 3 demonstrates that muscular anserine concentrations were overall higher than muscular carnosine concentrations. Both anserine and carnosine were higher in breast muscle than in thigh muscle, whereas taurine concentration was lower in breast muscle than in thigh muscle.

[0029] -alanine supplementation had substantially no effect on the muscular concentrations of carnosine, anserine and taurine, this in contrast to the findings of Tomonaga et al. (2005 and 2006) who used however much higher -alanine supplementations.

TABLE-US-00003 TABLE 3 Effect of beta-alanine supplementation on histidine- containing dipeptides and taurine concentrations in thigh and breast of broiler chickens. Thigh Breast Beta-alanine, mg/kg 0 500 0 500 Carnosine, mmol/kg 4.6 4.8 7.5 7.9 Anserine, mmol/kg 13.8 12.6 34.8 36.9 HCD, mmol/kg* 18.3 17.4 42.3 44.8 Taurine, mmol/kg 5.8 5.6 2.0 2.2 *HCD = Histidine Containing Dipeptides

[0030] The birds in the -alanine group tended to have a higher bodyweight at slaughter, and indeed tended to grow faster.

TABLE-US-00004 TABLE 8 Effect of beta-alanine supplementation on broiler chicken performance between 24 and 42 days of age. Beta-alanine, mg/kg 0 500 Initial bodyweight, kg 1.350 1.362 Final bodyweight, kg 2.810 2.874 Average daily gain, g 104 108

Fish

Materials and Methods

[0031] A group of 24 carps were distributed over 12 aquaria with 2 fish each. All fish were previously housed in identical conditions, and fed the same diet as the control group in the trial. Every other aquarium was attributed to either a control diet or that control diet supplemented with 500 mg -alanine per kg. Feeding was done at 1.5% of the body weight, during 2 feeding times/day. To increase the level of oxidative stress, the carps were kept at 27 C. (4 C. above the advised temperature).

[0032] The change in bodyweight after the 14 day feeding experiment was measured per fish, but pooled per aquarium as the experimental unit.

Results

[0033]

TABLE-US-00005 TABLE 9 Effect of beta-alanine supplementation on carp performance during 14 day experiment. Beta-alanine, mg/kg 0 500 Initial bodyweight, g 201.5 211.1 Final bodyweight, g 213.2 230.1 Average weight gain, g 11.8 19.0 Average feed intake, g 37.5 44.1 Feed conversion ratio, g:g 3.9 2.7

REFERENCES

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