In order to clarify whether chitin in shrimp meal (SM) a#ects growth performance of broilers adversely, body weight gain, feed intake, digestibility and nitrogen retention were measured in broilers given diets containing -levels of SM and chitin. In addition, meat and skin color was also measured in the expectation of color intensification by astaxanthin in SM. Body weight gain, feed intake and feed e$ciency decreased numerically in birds given SM diets, but did not change in birds given chitin diets. Dry matter (DM) digestibility decreased with increasing levels of SM and chitin. Chitin digestibility was low (at most ,.ῌ) and tended to decrease with increasing levels of SM and chitin. Ash digestibility decreased with increasing levels of SM but unchanged with increasing levels of chitin. N retention decreased with increasing levels of SM and chitin. The redness of thigh meat was increased by feeding SM. In conclusion, the results obtained here showed that decreased DM digestibility observed in birds given SM diets seemed to be explained by the low digestibility of chitin in SM, and SM may be useful to improve meat color of broilers.

In order to use shrimp meal (SM) made from headless black tiger shrimp waste as a protein source for poultry diets, chemical composition of SM and growth performance, dry matter (DM) digestibility and nitrogen (N) retention in broilers given diets containing SM ranged from *ῌ to +0ῌ were measured. Comparing with the data in the previous reports, SM used in the present study was rich in fiber and ash, hence poor in CP. Amino acid profiles revealed that SM had lower concentration of methionineῌcysteine, lysine, isoleucine, leucine, tryptophane than soybean meal. The results of orthogonal polynomials revealed that body weight gain, feed intake, feed e$ciency, DM digestibility and N retention decreased with increasing levels of SM and the results of ANOVA showed that, in most case, these parameters did not change significantly when SM level was at and below 2ῌ. However, these parameters in birds given 2ῌ SM diets did not di#er from those in birds given +,ῌ and +0ῌ SM diets. Taking this into account, the safer level to add SM to a broiler diet seems to be .ῌ. Decreased body weight gain may be resulted from decreased feed intake, feed e$ciency and DM digestibility. In conclusion, it is suggested that SM can be used as a protein source in a broiler diet as far as it is included at and below .ῌ.

No abstract

Zero-activity heat production (HP), body temperature (Tb) and energy retention were measured in growing broilers maintained at 5 ambient temperatures (Ta) (14 degrees , 17 degrees , 22 degrees , 27 degrees and 32 degrees C) and at 5 feeding rates (ad libitum intake and 75%, 50%, 25% and 0% (fasting) of ad libitum). Zero-activity HP increased with decreasing Ta and increasing food intake. However, at 14 degrees C, zero-activity HP in birds fed ad libitum and 75% did not show further increase, but those in birds fed less than 75% of ad libitum increased rapidly. Results of the regression of zero-activity HP on Ta ranging from 32 degrees to 17 degrees C indicated that the slope was affected little by food intake, but the intercept decreased with decreasing food intake. Tb increased significantly with increasing food intake. There was little variation with Ta but, at and above 27 degrees C, a slightly increased Tb was observed only in birds fed ad libitum. Overall effects of Ta and food intake on HIF (% TME intake) were not found, but HIF tended to increase with decreasing food intake at 14 degrees C. Total energy retention and energy retention as fat decreased with decreasing Ta and food intake, although energy retention as protein decreased only with decreasing food intake. Results obtained here suggest that availability of TME is affected little by Ta ranging from 32 degrees to 17 degrees C and that HIF is utilised, in part, to maintain Tb at any Ta.

The present study was performed to measure the chemical composition and in vitro digestibilities of heads and hulls in three different species of the edible shrimp, and discussed their nutritional quality from the view point of practical use of shrimp meal (SM). Heads and hulls of black tiger (Penaeus monodon) (BT), white leg (Litopenaeus vannamei) (WL) and argentine red (Pleoticus muelleri) (AR) shrimps were prepared: 2 sizes of specimen were used in BT. Their inedible parts, such as heads and abdominal exoskeleton with tails (hulls) were removed, dried at 55℃ and ground to pass through 1.0 mm aperture and then used as SM. Compared with hulls, heads were significantly rich in crude protein (CP) and ether extract (EE), and poor in crude fibre (CF), crude ash (CA) and chitin. Among head groups, CP level was the greatest in WL, EE level in AR, CF level in large and small BT, CA level in 3 species other than WL, chitin level in large BT. Among hull groups, CP level was the greatest in WL, CF level in large and small BT and chitin level in large BT: EE level in hulls were extremely low in all group. Overall, in vitro dry matter (DM) and CP digestibilities were significantly greater in heads than in hulls, which is reasonable because the level of chitin, non-digestible amino polysaccharide, was greater in hulls than heads in all species. There is no great difference in parameters measured between heads and heads + hulls. The results obtained here suggest that the heads of WL can be a more nutritious source of SM in poultry diets.