Ruminal degradability of crude protein from different treated soybean meals in lactating cows

Ruminal crude protein (CP) degradability of four commercially available soybean meal (SBM) types--untoasted (U), toasted (T), heat-treated (H) and formaldehyde-treated (F)--was studied by the use of in sacco and in vivo techniques with lactating German Friesian cows cannulated in the rumen, duodenum and ileum. In two in sacco experiments three cows were fed a diet based either on grass hay plus ear-maize silage or on barley whole plant silage. Ruminal degradation rate of CP was estimated as percent nitrogen (N) disappearance from polyester bags incubated in the rumen for 2, 4, 6, 8, 12 and 24 h. Ruminal degradation rate of CP varied among the four SBM types as well as between the two basal diets. N disappearance from the bags after 12 h of incubation averaged 96, 67, 37, and 23% for the U, T, H, and F SBM types, respectively, in the cows fed the hay/ear-maize silage diet vs 99, 86, 58 and 41% for the four SBM types, respectively, in the cows fed the barley whole plant silage diet. In the in vivo experiment, four cows were fed diets based on meadow hay and ear-maize silage in a 4 x 4 Latin square design. The effect of SBM treatment on the flow rate of non-ammonia N (NAN) into the duodenum, and its relationship with the ruminal degradation rate of CP of the four SBM types, was studied. Formaldehyde treatment increased the amount of NAN entering the duodenum (P less than .05): 485 g cow-1 day-1 compared to 383, 418 and 428 g for U, T and H, respectively. Calculated ruminal CP degradabilities were 93, 75, 71 and 38% for SBM types U, T, H and F, respectively.