Use of bitter vetch (Vicia ervilia) as a feed ingredient for poultry: A review.
- UNCG Author/Contributor (non-UNCG co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)
- Kenneth Gruber, Evaluation Section Chair (Creator)
- Institution
- The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG )
- Web Site: http://library.uncg.edu/
Abstract: The increasing costs of conventional feedstuffs like corn, soybean meal and fish meal
for poultry diets is pushing the need to find less expensive alternatives. Bitter vetch
(Vicia ervilia) is an ancient grain legume crop that originated in the Mediterranean
region, but now can be found in many countries around the world. It has many
favourable characteristics, such as having high yields and being resistant to drought
and insects. Bitter vetch (BV) is a good source of metabolisable energy (13.57 MJ/
kg), protein (240 g/kg) and minerals especially Fe, Cu, K, P and Cl. It contains small
amounts of fat, but is high in non-structural carbohydrates (617.8 g/kg). Its amino
acid profile is very close to soybean meal, including being a good source of lysine.
Given all of these qualities, BV has good potential as a feed source for poultry.
However, raw BV contains anti-nutritional factors such as canavanine, protease
inhibitors, tannins and lectins that have been shown to have detrimental
performance effects as a feed source for broilers and laying hens. Attempts to
process and detoxify these substances through soaking in water, acidic and alkali
solutions, boiling and autoclaving have met with limited success. Hence, before
bitter vetch can be considered as a viable alternative feed source for poultry,
more work is necessary to establish suitable techniques for removing greater
amounts of these anti-nutritional compounds. This paper reviews the current
body of knowledge on bitter vetch as a potential feed source for poultry.
Use of bitter vetch (Vicia ervilia) as a feed ingredient for poultry: A review.
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Additional Information
- Publication
- Language: English
- Date: 2009
- Keywords
- bitter vetch, laying hens, composition, conventional feedstuffs, poultry diets, broilers