Enhancing the feed value of Marama bean for Jumbo quail using thermal treatments.

Abstract

The study evaluated the efficacy of thermal processing methods to improve the feeding value of Marama bean (Tylosema esculentum) in diets of Jumbo quail (Coturnix sp.). Five isonitrogenous and isoenergetic experimental diets were formulated as follows: a standard grower diet without MBM (CON); = a standard grower diet with 99.98 g/kg of raw (MBMR),cooked (MBMC), autoclaved (MBMA), and toasted MBM (MBMT). A total of 306, oneweek-old mixed-gender Jumbo quail with initial live-weights of 30.97 ± 1.79 g/b were distributed to 5 dietary treatments in a completely randomised design with 8 or 9 birds per cage and each replicated 7 times. Effect of diets on growth performance, apparent retention (AR) of amino acids (AA), serum biochemical and haematological parameters, carcass characteristics and quality, and internal organ sizes in Jumbo quail was tested. Daily feed intake and weekly live-weights were measured until the quail reached 5 weeks of age. Blood samples were collected during slaughter, and other parameters were measured postmortem. The AR of AA was assessed from weeks 5 to 6 using 70 quail hens (two birds per experimental cage). The diets significantly affected (P <0.05) the AR of lysine, methionine, threonine, and otheressential amino acids. The CON diet resulted in the highest (P <0.05) overall feed intake (FI) followed by MBMC and MBMA, while the MBMR and MBMT groups had the lowest overall FI. Quail birds fed MBMR and MBMT diets showed significantly lower overall body weight gain (BWG) (P <0.05) compared to those fed CON, MBMC and MBMA diets. Moreover, quail on the MBMR diet had the lowest overall gain-tofeed ratio (G:F) (P <0.05) compared to those reared on the other diets, which had statistically similar G:F values (P >0.05). The MBMR diet also resulted in higher (P <0.05) lipase level than the other treatments. The CON diet produced higher (P <0.05) haematocrit level than the other treatments. Quail birds fed MBMR and MBMT diets had significantly lower (P <0.05) final body weights compared to those fed the CON, MBMC and MBMA diets. Additionally the MBMR diet resulted in the heaviest (P <0.05) relative gizzard weights than all other dietary treatments. The MBMT and MBMR groups had significantly heavier (P <0.05) relative spleen weights compared to the other treatment groups. However, diet MBMT led to significantly heavier (P <0.05) relative proventriculus weights compared to the other dietary groups. Diet CON improved 1-hour breast meat redness more than the other dietary treatments. Furthermore, the MBMC, MBMA and CON diets significantly enhanced (P <0.05) 24-hour breast meat redness compared to the MBMR and MBMT diets. It was concluded that relative to the CON diet, cooked and autoclaved MBM treatments improved apparent AA retention, overall growth performance, carcass weights, and meat redness than the raw and toasted MBM treatments.