Relative effectiveness of herbal methionine compared to DL-methionine on growth, performance and carcass responses basis in broiler chickens

Abstract:background: the degree to which the amount of an ingested nutrient is absorbed and available to the body is called bioavailability. objectives: relative effectiveness of herbal methionine (h-met®) compared to dl-methionine (dl-met) was investigated in this experiment. methods: exponential regression analysis was used to determine bioefficacy of h-met® based on body weight gain, feed intake and feed conversion. dl-met and h-met® were added to a basal diet in 3 and 4 levels, respectively, in starter, grower and finisher periods. therefore, that met the nutrient and energy requirements of broiler chickens, with the exception of met+cys. results: in the 42-d trial, broilers growth increased significantly (p < 0.05), relative to those broilers fed basal diet, regardless of met sources. carcass characteristics did not respond significantly to the supplemental met. conclusions: regression analysis revealed that h-met® was 52% (body weight gain), 72% (feed intake) and 77% (feed conversion ratio) as efficacious as dl-met. h-met® can be administered as a new and a natural source of met in poultry industry.