Evaluation of raw and heated velvet beans (Mucuna pruriens) as feed ingredients for broilers

Abstract

Velvet bean plants (Mucuna pruriens) are used widely outside the U.S. as a cover crop. The beans (VB), high in protein, contain toxic substances that possibly can be destroyed by heating. Few data are available on the use of VB in poultry nutrition. We examined the effects of raw and dry-roasted VB on broiler performance in two experiments. In Experiment 1, 10, 20, and 30% raw VB were substituted into nutritionally balanced rations fed 0 to 42 d of age. Raw VB caused progressive reductions in growth; at 42 d of age, broilers fed 30% VB weighed 39% of controls. Feed intake declined significantly only with 30% VB. Feed efficiency decreased significantly with 20 and 30% VB. In Experiment 2, 10% raw VB and 10, 20, and 30% heated VB were fed 0 to 42 d. With 10% raw VB, broilers grew significantly slower but feed intake was unchanged. Inclusion of 10% heated VB allowed better growth than raw VB, and by 42 d of age, growth was not significantly different from that of controls. At 20 and 30%, heated VB promoted much better growth and efficiency than raw VB in Experiment 1, but values were significantly lower than those of controls. With 30% heated VB, broilers grew to 66% of control, a marked improvement over raw VB. Carcass yield was unaffected. Trypsin inhibitor activity but not L-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (L-DOPA) in VB was destroyed by heating. We conclude that dry heating of VB partially destroys its growth-inhibiting factor(s), allowing successful use of 10% heated VB in broiler rations. Higher levels of heated VB reduced broiler performance, although results were much better than those of raw VB.

Effects of processing methods on the chemical composition of flour, <i>moinmoin</i> and <i>akara</i> from <i>mucuna</i> <i>pruriens</i>

“…Tannin and phytate levels were decreased by 80.85% and 41.67%, respectively while trypsin inhibitor activity and haemagglutinin were reduced by 88.00% and 64.67% respectively. The slow decline of L-dopa even after boiling and parboiling confirms the heat stability of L-dopa as reported by Del Carmen et al (2002). It is evident that processing of mucuna to akara could reduce the antinutrient content in mucuna to a large extent.…”

Evaluation of velvet bean meal as an alternative protein ingredient for poultry feed

“…However, the results of this study indicate that VBM can possibly be included only up to the 40% level without having any adverse effects on the FI and BWG levels of broiler birds in the starter phase. Similarly, the earlier reports have shown that the Mucuna pruriens seeds can be included at the 10% level (Del Carmen et al, 1999); M. cochinchinensis at the 19% level (Ukachukwu, 2007); Lupinus albus at 23% (Brenes et al, 2002) and Phaseolus lunatus at 25% (Ologhobo et al, 1993) in the starter phase commercial broiler rations.…”

“…The weight of the feed given, feed leftover and BW of the birds were recorded weekly and then the feed intake (FI) was determined by subtracting the leftover feed from the total feed offered. The FI, body weight gain (BWG) and feed conversion ratio (FCR) were calculated according to the method of Del Carmen et al (1999), whereas the protein efficiency ratio (PER) was determined by the following Iyayi and Taiwo (2003) method.…”

“…But although the raw VB seeds constitute a rich source of protein and other nutrients, its utilization as food/feed remains poor mainly due to the presence of certain anti-nutritional compounds (Pugalenthi et al, 2005;Vadivel and Pugalenthi, 2008). Earlier research reports have indicated that the inclusion of raw VB seeds as a protein ingredient in poultry feed reduces the growth rate of broiler chicks (Del Carmen et al, 1999) and also decreases egg production in laying hens (Harms et al, 1961). Siddhuraju and Becker (2003) have also reported that the incorporation of raw VB seeds in fish feed exhibits poor growth performance and feed utilization of fishes.…”

Nutritional value of Mucuna spp. seed, as a dietary complement to non ruminant and ruminant livestock. Review

“…inhibiendo a la amilasa, la tripsina, la cromotripisina, la lipasa, entre otras); la absorción de vitaminas y minerales; causado por el daño sobre la mucosa del tracto digestivo (48) . La presencia y concentración de L-DOPA ha sido objeto de debate, ya que algunas investigaciones sugieren que tiene un efecto negativo en el desarrollo normal del animal (51,52) , mientras que otras concluyen que ésta no afecta significativamente (53,54) . Aunque se reconocen los efectos fitohematoglutinantes de las fracciones proteicas de mucuna en humanos (35) , no existen estudios de sus efectos en animales rumiantes y no rumiantes; pero podría suponerse efectos adversos en la nutrición de los animales (55) .…”