University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine Iasi [601535]

University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine Iasi

– 60 – EFFECT OF PARTIAL SUBS TITUTION OF SOYBEAN
MEAL WITH LUPINE SEEDS ON GROWTH AND
ECONOMIC EFFICIENCY OF BROILERS

D. Mierlita1*, Diana Popovici1

1University of Oradea, Romania

Abstract
The aim of the study was to investigate the effect s of different levels of lupin seeds alkaloid-free
in the diet on the growth and economics efficiency of broiler chickens. A total of 120 1-day-old Ross
308 chicks were divided into four batches. Batch Lc (the control) was fed on a maize and soybean
diet. Different levels of lupin seeds were used in the experimental diets (low, medium and high level
in E 1, E 2 and E 3 batches, respectively) instead of a soyb ean meal. All diets were formulated to
contain similar levels of met abolizable energy, crude protein and amino limited. A feeding program
was used to offspring in three phases: starter (1 -21 days), growth (22-35 days) and finishing (36-42
days). The results show that repl acing protein from soybean meal with lupine flour at low or
medium (up to 30% in the starter phase and 60% in growing and finishing phase: group E 2) has no
adverse effects on growth in weight and feed c onversion ratio. Introduction of lupine flour in
chickens in high level (40% in the starter phas e and 80% in growing and finishing phase: group E 3)
had a negative influence on growth performance (p <0.05). Introduction of l upine seed in diet
chickens led to decreasing the cost of feed on up to 29,68%, allowing a progressive increase up to
41,90% of profit got the chicken.

Key words : lupine seeds, br oiler, performance

INTRODUCTION1
The interest in using lupine beans in
broiler diets is justified primarily by their
high protein content (40.08% Pb.), but also by their high food energy (3030 kcal ME/kg)
generated by high fat content (9.74%) [9].
In Romania, the cultivation and use of
white lupine beans in poultry diets is not promoted on large scale as in other countries, although it represents a viable alternative to the soybean meals imported, both in terms of bio production as well as in economic and environment protection terms.
Most studies have shown that, by
introducing lupine in proportions of up to 25% in the food of broilers one obtains similar outcomes to those provided by diets based on soybean meals. Many researchers concluded
that in order to maintain performance in
breeding broilers, lupine flour in food can be
introduced in the food in a share of up to 30%

*Corresponding author: [anonimizat]
The manuscript was received: 15.03.2013
Accepted for public ation: 25.04.2013 but the lupine cannot totally replace soybean
meals in broilers’ diet [3], [1], [7], [15], [4], [10], [18], [5]. Nalle et al., (2010) concluded
that broilers aged < 21 days cannot tolerate
food concentrations larger than 200g lupine /1
kg combined fodder.
Lupine use as the sole source of protein
for poultry is limited one hand by the protein biological value (low content in methionine, lysine, tryptophan and threonine – [17]), and on the other hand by the high content in NSP (non-starch polysaccharides) which adversely affects the food digestion and use processes [6] [2] [16] [8].
Research made had been designed to
ascertain whether the soybean meals in broilers food can be replaced partially by alkaloid free lupine beans, while monitoring the effect of this alternative source of proteins on economic
production performance and efficiency.

MATERIAL AND METHOD
The experiment was conducted as a
completely randomized experimental design made of four treatments, which involve a

Lucrări Științifice-Seria Zootehnie, vol. 59

– 61 – controlled diet consisting of corn – soybean
meals (the control group – Lc) and three
experimental diets (E 1, E 2, and E 3) in which
the protein from soybean meals was replaced by free alkaloids lupine flour at a rate of 20%,
30%, and 40% respectively during the period
from 1
st to 21st day period, and at a rate of 40%, 60%, and 80% respectively from the
22nd to 42nd day of breeding. By this
substitution one ensured a share of lupine flour in the mix fodder varying from 9.4% to 18.7% in the starter phase, from 17.1% to 34.2%, in
the breeding phase, and from 14.7% to 29.3%
in the growth finishing phase (Table 1).

Table 1 Structure of mix fodder put to test

Starter (1-21 days) Breeding (22-35 days) Finishing (23-42 days) Specification Lc E 1 E 2 E 3 Lc E 1 E 2 E 3 Lc E 1 E 2 E 3
Structure of mix fodder (% of body weight)
Corn 52.0 51.9 52.4 52.3 55.5 55.6 55.6 55. 8 50.5 50.1 50.5 50.8
Triticale – – – – – – – – 10.0 10.0 10.0 10.0
Soybean
meals 42.0 33.5 29.3 25.3 38.5 23.1 15.4 7.7 33.0 20.0 13.2 6.6
Lupine – 9.4 14.0 18.7 – 17.1 25.7 34.2 – 14.7 22.0 29.3
Synthetic
lysine – 0.10 0.10 0.15 – 0.10 0. 15 0.15 – 0.10 0.15 0.15
Synthetic
methionine – 0.10 0.10 0.15 – 0.10 0. 15 0.15 – 0.10 0.15 0.15
Fat 4.0 3.0 2.1 1.5 4.0 2. 0 1.0 – 4.5 3.0 2.0 1.0
Vitamins –
minerals
premix. 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0
TOTAL 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100. 0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Nutritional characterist ics (calculated values)
E.M.
(kcal/kg) 3042 3052 3035 3034 3082 3079 3084 3088 3144 3153 3149 3145
Proteine (%) 23.37 23.37 23.39 23.44 22. 13 22.13 22.16 22.16 20. 37 20.44 20.38 20.39
Lysine (%) 1.25 1.25 1.25 1.25 1.17 1.17 1.17 1.17 1. 05 1.05 1.05 1.05
Met.+Cist.
(%) 0.60 0.60 0.60 0.60 0.56 0.56 0.56 0.56 0.52 0.52 0.52 0.52

In the experiment there were used white
lupine beans, Energyl variety (improved in
France), cultivated in the climatic conditions specific to the Western Romania area, using seeds imported from Holland [9]. All diets were designed to contain similar levels of
metabolizable energy, and amino acids gross
protein and limiting amino acids (lysine and methionine).
A total of 120 Ross 308 one day broilers
were divided into four groups, following the
dynamics of body weight and feed consumption.
Testing the significance of the differences
between groups was made by applying
ANOVA testing [12]. Differences were
declared as being significant at p <0.05.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS
From the analysis of data on the evolution of
body mass of broilers, shown in Table 2 bellow,
one can drawn the following conclusions:
– At the age of one day (populating)
broilers body weight was almost equal in all
groups; – At the age of 21 days (end of starter
phase) the average body weight was
significantly higher (p <0.05) in the case of control group of broilers in which food there were used only soybean meals as protein fodder. The lowest body weight was recorded in broilers in group E
3 in which food there
was used in food highest proportion of lupine flour, this substituting 40% of protein provided by soybean meals;
– At the age of 35 days (the end of
breeding period) there were not recorded
significantly differences between the broilers in the four groups surveyed, but it is worth to notice the body weight of the broilers in group E
3 which is substantially lower than in
the case of other groups (by approx. 140.7 g / capita, compared with Lc);
Final body weight of broilers surveyed
varied 2598.73 g / capita in case of Lc and 2411.83 g / capita in case of E
3 lot. As
compared with broilers in control group (Lc) which recorded the highest final body weight,

University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine Iasi

– 62 – this was lower by 0.07% in the group E 1; by
4.04% in the group E 2, and by 7.19% in the
group E 3, these differences being statistically
ensured only for the group E 3 (p <0.05).
Based on the results obtained we can
estimate that substituting the protein from soybean meals by white lupine flour in a share of up to 30% in the starter phase and up to 60% in the breeding and finishing phases does not significantly influence (p> 0.05 ) the
level and dynamics of body weight (for the groups E
1 and E 2). Increasing the rate of
substitution of protein from soybean meals
by lupine flour to 40% in the starter phase and by 80% afterwards plays negative role on body weight gain by reducing significantly (p <0.05) the average body weight of broilers at slaughter age (for the group E
3).

Table 2 Evolution of body weight and average daily gain (g / capita)

Group
Lc E 1 E 2 E 3
Body weight
(X ± sd)
-initial
-at 21 days – at 35 days – at 42 days

41.6 ± 0.67
917.5 ± 13.88
a
1997.17 ± 44.64
2598.73 ± 42.99a

41.4 ± 0.54
901.53 ± 11.94ab
1990.50 ± 33.34
2596.83 ± 46.14a

41.9 ± 0.49
884.70 ± 14.33ab
1928.00 ± 39.59
2493.83 ± 48.16ab

41.4 ± 0.66
854.97 ± 14.59b
1856.50 ± 36.05
2411.83 ± 51.26b
Average daily gain:
– 1 – 21 days
– 22 – 35 days – 36 – 42 days – 1 – 42 days 41.65
77.12
85.94 60.85 40.88
77.78
86.57 60.80 40.10
74.52
80.83 58.36 38.67
71.53
79.33 56.40

Similar features are found in the data on
average daily gain, shown in Table 3 bellow.
Throughout the breeding period, as compared with the control group (Lc) which recorded an average gain of 60.85 g / day, the experimental groups reached slightly smaller body weight gains, with values ranging from 60.80 g / day in group E
1 down to 56.40 g /
day in group E 3.
Adding lupine flour in large proportions
in the food of broilers (i.e. the group E 3) had
a negative impact on both the intake of fodder but also on the degree of diet use (Table 3). Thus, the daily intake of fodder,
reported to the entire experimental period, decreased in groups where lupine flour was introduced in the food as compared with the control group (Lc), by up to 5.5%. Moreover the average consumption of mix fodder to reach a one kg gain in weight throughout the whole breeding period (1-42 days) was higher in the experimental groups as against the control group (Lc) by 0.28% in the case of group E
1; by 1.23% in the case of group
E2, and by 1.96% in the case group E 3.

Table 3 Evolution of fodder consumption and the degree of food use

Group
Lc E 1 E 2 E 3
1-21
days – mix fodder total consumption (g)
– mix fodder average daily consumption (g) – body weight gain (g/capita) – specific consumption (kg/kg gained) 1213.4
57.78
874.69
1.387 1195.6
56.93 858.6 1.392 1179.2
56.15
842.14
1.400 1147.8
54.66
812.10
1.413
22-35
days – mix fodder total consumption (g)
– mix fodder average daily consumption (g) – body weight gain (g/capita) – specific consumption (kg/kg gained) 1934.8
138.20
1079.67
1.792 1958.4
139.88
1088.97
1.798 1917.9
136.99 1043.3
1.838 1858.5
132.75
1001.53
1.856
36-42
days – mix fodder total consumption (g)
– mix fodder average daily consumption (g) – body weight gain (g/capita) – specific consumption (kg/kg gained) 1414.4
202.06 601.56
2.351 1417.0
202.43
606.0 2.338 1333.4
190.49 565.83
2.356 1306.5
186.64 555.33
2.352
1-42
days – mix fodder total consumption (g)
– mix fodder average daily consumption (g) – body weight gain (g/capita) – specific consumption (kg/kg gained) 4562.6
108.63
2555.92
1.785 4571.0
108.83
2553.57
1.790 4430.5
105.49
2451.27
1.807 4312.8
102.69
2368.96
1.820

Lucrări Științifice-Seria Zootehnie, vol. 59

– 63 – The substitution of the protein from
soybean meals with lupine flour in a share of 20% during the starter phase and 40% in the
breeding and finishing phases is
recommended without adverse effects on
weight gain, food consumption and use.
Increased share of lupine in food (30%, and 60% of protein provided by soybean meals in
the case of the group E
2) slightly decreased
(p> 0.05) the final weight of broilers and feed intake and increased the specific
consumption of mix fodder for one kg
increase in body weight. A significant
reduction (p <0.05) performance was found
in broilers in group E
3, where the substitution
of soybean meal protein with lupine was 40%
in the starter phase and 80% in the breeding
phase and finishing phases. Thus, comparatively with the control group, the
final weight of broilers in group E
3 was lower
by 7.19%, the feed intake was lower by
5.47%, and the feed consumption for one kg
increase in body weight was higher by 1.96%.
In most studies published in international
literature it is mentioned that the adding lupine beans in the food of broilers in the
amount of up to 250 g/ kg (without shelling
beans and without using enzyme
preparations), does not affect breeding
performance and the use of food, if the diet is balanced in essential amino acids and mainly in sulphur-containing amino acids [19] [11]
[13], considering that the amount of sulphur-containing amino acids in lupine beans is
only 30% of the amount found in soybean
meals [17].
Adding lupine beans in the diet of
broilers in proportion > 35%, reduce their production performance [13] [16]; the
negative impact of lupine being attributed to
the large amount of NSP (non-starch polysaccharides).
In the case of broilers the NSP (non-
starch polysaccharides) of lupine seeds
resulted in increased digestive contents
viscosity in jejunum and ileum (p <0.05), with a negative effect on feed intake and food
use (Table 4). Similar results were obtained
by Kocher et al., [6] and Steenfelddt et al., [16] in their previous research conducted on
broilers. Lupine, although it has a high fat
content, it has however a low energy value
because it NSP (non-starch polysaccharides)
content [6]. It was calculated that for every percentage of lupine in the broilers diet, its
energy value decreases by 0.288 MJ EM/kg,
and by adding specific enzymes in food, apparent digestibility of energy increased by
3.2 percentage points and protein and amino
acids use improves [14].

Table 4 Impact of lupine seeds on in testinal content viscosity (cP)

Group Specification
Lc E 1 E 2 E 3
Jejunum 5.54 ± 0.96c 6.31 ± 1.98b 6.85 ± 1.75ab 7.39 ± 2.14a
Ileum 10.07 ± 2.90b 10.41 ± 2.34b 10.60 ± 1.12b 12.43 ± 3.41a

While assessing the impact of partial
substitution of soybean by lupine flour in the
meals of broilers on the main economic
indicators, the superiority of broilers in group E
3 is clear, as in the later food one used the
highest proportion of lupine (Table 5). Thus,
as compared with control group (Lc), in the
case of experimental groups the price of one kg of mix fodder drop by 30.5%, while
expenditures on broilers feeding drop by
29.7%. Thus, the net profit obtained at
experimental groups compared with the control group (Lc) was higher by 27.6% in
the group E
1, 34.3% in group E 2 and by
41.9% in the group E 3 (Table 5).

University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine Iasi

– 64 – Table 5 Economic assessment of parti al substitution of soybean meal with lupine in broiler nutrition
values (excluding VAT)*

Group
Lc E 1 E 2 E 3
EXPENDITURES
Cost per one day broiler 1.65 1.65 1.65 1.65
Fodder cost (RON/kg) Starter
Breeding Finishing 1.614
1.582 1.545 1.491
1.343 1.352 1.408
1.223 1.243 1.347
1.099 1.131
Feeding costs
(RON/broiler) Starter
Breeding Finishing TOTAL 1.958
3.060 2.185 7.203 1.782
2.630 1.915 6.327 1.660
2.345 1.657 5.662 1.546
2.042 1.477 5.065
Other costs (energy, vaccination, medicines,
labour force, etc.) 1.60 1.60 1.60 1,60
Total expenditures (RON/broiler) 10.453 9.577 8.912 8,315
Final body weight (kg/capita ) 2,598 2.596 2.493 2.411
INCOME OBTAINED:
– broilers sales (4.4 RON/kg)
– subvention (RON/capita) TOTAL INCOME 11.431
2.16
13.591 11.422
2.16
13.582 10.969
2.16
13.129 10,608
2,16
12,768
PROFIT OBTAINED (RON/broiler) 3,138 4.005 4.217 4.453
Profit variations as compared with Lc
– (RON/broiler ) – % –
100.00 + 0.867
+ 27.6 + 1.079
+ 34.38 + 1.315
+ 41.90
* Specific prices for the month of November. 2012

CONCLUSIONS
The study results show that when mix
fodder is properly balanced in energy, proteins and limiting amino acids, the
substitution of soy protein meals in broilers
food by lupine flour by up to 30% in the starter phase (1-21 days) and 60% in the breeding (22-35 days) and finishing (36-42 days) phases, has no adverse effect on body weight gain, the use of diet, and carcass and meat quality.
A significant drop of performance (p
<0.05) was found in broilers in group E
3,
where the substitution of soybean meal protein with lupine was 40% in the starter phase and 80% in the breeding and finishing phases. As compared with the control group,
the final body weight of broilers in group E
3
was lower by 7.19%, feed intake was lower by 5.47%, and the feed consumption for one kg increase in body weight was higher by 1.96%.
Adding lupine in broilers feeding and
reducing soybean meals accordingly had a positive impact on the key economic indicators. Thus, as compared with the control group (Lc), in the case of experimental groups the price of a kg mix
fodder drop by 30.5%, leading to an
increased profit in broilers from experimental groups up to 34.3% as compared with the
control group (Lc).

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: This work
was supported by a grant of the Romanian
National Authority for Scientific Research, CNDI – UEFISCDI, project number PN-II-IN-CI-2012-1-0257.

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