THE APPARENT METABOLIZABLE ENERGY OF SUNFLOWER OIL AND SUNFLOWER ACID OIL FOR BROILER-CHICKENS

Refined deodorised sunflower oil (RS) of high quality and sunflower acid oil (SAO) of low quality, were blended in the proportions RS:SAO of: (A) 1.00:0.00; (B) 0.75:0.25; (C) 0.50:0.50; (D) 0.25:0.75; (E) 0.00:1.00. The five oil combinations were included in a basal diet at 40, 80 and 120 g kg-1. Experimental diets were evaluated for apparent oil digestibility (AOD) with broiler chicks aged 29-32 days. The AOD values for oils were determined from linear regression of AOD of diets on level of inclusion of oil. Apparent metabolisable energy (AME) values of oils were determined as the product of AOD and gross energy/1000. Values were 37.5 MJ kg-1 and 30.6 MJ kg-1, respectively, for RS and SAO. There was a linear reduction in AME with increasing proportion of SAO in the blend. The AME for SAO predicted on the basis of age of bird, free fatty acid (FFA) content and degree of saturation was 35.1 MJ kg-1. It was concluded that corrected non-elutable matter (NEM) was at best acting as an inert diluent in terms of AME. Analysis of oils and fats for corrected NEM provides an assessment of whether they have been subjected to excessive heat processing.