[Utilizable value of wild economic plant resource--acron kernel]

Area of Science:

• Animal Nutrition
• Feed Science
• Agricultural Chemistry

Context:

• Acorn kernel is a potential alternative feed ingredient for poultry.
• Traditional feed ingredients like maize and rice were used as controls for comparison.
• Evaluating the nutritional profile of wild resources is crucial for sustainable agriculture.

Purpose:

• To determine the available nutritive value of acorn kernel for poultry using the true metabolizable energy (TME) method.
• To quantify the energy, protein, and amino acid content and availability in acorn kernel.
• To assess the anti-nutritional factors, specifically tannin and hydrocyanic acid, in acorn kernel.

Summary:

• Acorn kernel contains 16.53 MJ/kg gross energy, 11.13 MJ/kg apparent metabolizable energy, and 11.66 MJ/kg true metabolizable energy (TME).
• Crude protein content is 10.63% with true availability of 49.83%. Total amino acid content is 9.23%, with true available amino acid content at 6.09% and 60.85% true availability.
• Acorn kernel has 4.55% tannin and 0.98% hydrocyanic acid, with nutritive value similar to or slightly lower than maize, but higher than rice.

Impact:

• Acorn kernel can be considered a viable feed resource for poultry, similar to maize.
• Understanding anti-nutritional factors is key to optimizing acorn kernel utilization in poultry diets.
• Further research can explore processing methods to mitigate anti-nutritional effects and enhance acorn kernel's value.