Deutscher Tropentag, October 8 - 10, 2003 in Göttingen "Technological and Institutional Innovations for Sustainable Rural Development"

Accumulation of ¹⁵N in Yolks and Albumen of Hens Fed Diets Containing ¹⁵N-CCC During Egg Development

¹University of Jambi, Department of Animal Nutrition and Feed Science, Indonesia
²Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, Institute of Animal Physiology and Nutrition, Germany

Abstract

An experiment was conducted to evaluate the accumulation of dietary ¹⁵N-CCC in yolks and albumen of hens fed diets containing ¹⁵N-CCC during egg development. Twenty 280 days old Brown breed layer hens were fed a ¹⁵N-CCC free balanced diet with 16.37 % crude protein and 11.48 MJ ME/kg. In completely randomised design, the hens were divided into 4 groups (A,B,C and D) and given on one of the 4 treatments : 0 mg ¹⁵N-CCC /kg feed (control diet / group A), 5 mg ¹⁵N-CCC /kg feed (group B), 50 mg ¹⁵N-CCC /kg feed (group C) and 100 ppm mg ¹⁵N-CCC /kg feed (group D) for 11 days. During the 7 days followed, ¹⁵N-CCC treatments were withdrawn and all chickens restored to feeding on the control diet. Eggs were collected daily during both periods and egg yolks and albumen were separated. The ¹⁵N content was measured using a coupled Elemental Analyser - Continuous Flow II Interface - Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometer (EA-ConFloII Interface-IRMS) and the d¹⁵N excess (d¹⁵N-ex) and atom percentage ¹⁵N (At%) calculated. There was no significant (P>0.05) difference in d¹⁵N-ex and At% of egg yolks and albumen of group B both during 11 days of feeding on ¹⁵N-CCC containing diets and during the 7 days ¹⁵N-CCC diets withdrawal. Feeding with ¹⁵N-CCC affected (P<0.05) d¹⁵N-ex and At% in egg yolks and albumen of group C and D from 8 and 3 days respectively after the beginning of feeding ¹⁵N-CCC diets, and up to 2 and 4 days after ¹⁵N-CCC diets were withdrawn, respectively. The d¹⁵N-ex and At% in egg yolks tended to be higher than in albumen during the treatment period. The ¹⁵N concentrations reduced after ¹⁵N-CCC diets were withdrawn. These results suggest that hens might transfer excess dietary ¹⁵N-CCC or its metabolites into eggs and ¹⁵N accumulates during egg development. However, by this method it is not possible to determine if ¹⁵N is still bound in CCC or in its metabolite products.

Keywords: Atom percentage ¹⁵N, chlorocholine chloride, delta ¹⁵N, egg

Contact Address: Udo ter Meulen, Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, Institute of Animal Physiology and Nutrition, Kellnerweg 6, 37077 Göttingen, Germany, e-mail: umeulengwdg.de