IE904048A1

IE904048A1 - The use of protected amino acids for feeding sheep

Info

Publication number: IE904048A1
Application number: IE404890A
Authority: IE
Original assignee: Rhone Poulenc Nutrition Animal
Priority date: 1989-11-10
Filing date: 1990-11-09
Publication date: 1991-05-22
Also published as: BR9005763A; AU6599490A; EP0427639B1; NZ236023A; DE69011622T2; AU637844B2; ES2057486T3; DE69011622D1; FR2654307A1; FR2654307B1; CN1051486A; IL96283A0; PT95839A; EP0427639A1; ATE109950T1; ZA909012B; IL96283A

Abstract

The present invention relates to the use of protected amino acids, preferably methionine and/or lysin protected with regard to the pH of the rumen in feed for sheep. It also relates to a selected particle size favouring better absorption of the said amino acids.

Description

The present invention relates to the use of amino acids protected with respect to the pH of the rumen for feeding sheep. It relates more particularly to the use of methionine protected with respect to the pH of the rumen for feeding sheep.

It is known, for example according to the article published by Reis and Schinckel in 1963 in the Australian Journal of Biological Sciences, that injection of either Lcysteine or DL-methionine into the abomasum at a dose of 1.5 g to 3 g per day increases the growth of wool in the sheep.

The addition of sulphur-containing amino acids into the feed ration of ovines, on the other hand, has no effect on the growth of wool in the sheep.

The present invention allows improved growth of wool to be attained by administration of amino acids to the sheep in its feed ration.

From an agricultural point of view it was impossible to envisage injecting amino acids into the abomasum. In order to obtain improved wool growth, it is necessary to use some means of protecting the amino acids which allows them to pass through the sac of the rumen without degradation while being liberated in a sufficiently rapid manner in the abomasum and/or in the intestines in order to allow them to exert their beneficial effect.

The present invention provides a method of - 2 increasing the quantity of wool produced by a sheep which comprises administering to the sheep an amino acid which is protected from the pH in the rumen of the sheep. The amino acid is preferably methionine or lysine, most preferably methionine.

The amino acids administered to the sheep can be protected in the following manner using, for example, two types of copolymer.

The first type of copolymer comprises a 10 combination of a basic amino copolymer and a hydrophobic substance of which the melting point is greater than 60°C and/or of a polymer insoluble in water. The basic amino copolymer may be obtained, for example, from the reaction: - of a neutral ethylenic monomer such as methyl 15 acrylate or methacrylate, styrene, acrylonitrile or vinyl acetate and, - of a diethylenic monomer having a basic nitrogen-containing group such as diethylaminoethyl acrylate or methacrylate, tert-butylaminoethyl acrylate or methacrylate, morpholinoethyl methacrylate or a vinylpyridine.

The hydrophobic substance is preferably a fatty acid, a fatty ester, a fatty alcohol, a paraffin or a natural or synthetic wax. The use of stearic acid is preferred. The polymer insoluble in water is generally a cellulose ether or ester such as ethylcellulose or cellulose acetobutyrate, or a polyvinyl ester such as polyvinyl acetate. The use of compositions containing 85% by weight of amino acids for - 3 15% by weight of coating is preferred. The coating generally contains 10 to 30% of basic amino copolymer and from 70 to 90% of an optional mixture of a hydrophbic substance and a polymer insoluble in water.

The second type of copolymer which can be used comprises a mixture of a natural polymer such as zein, in combination with a hydrophobic substance having a melting point greater than 60’C and/or a polymer insoluble in water.

The hydrophobic substance and the polymer insoluble in water are generally as described above.

The use of a composition containing 30 to 80% of zein, 0 to 70% of a polymer insoluble in water and 10 to 70% of a hydrophobic substance is preferred.

A plasticizing agent may be added to these compositions.

Plasticizing agents include, in particular, triacetine, propylene gylcol, butyl phthalate and sodium oleate.

The coating compositions described above are known, and have been described in European Patent 260186 for the first type of composition and in European Patent 321337 for the second type of composition.

The said protected amino acids are generally provided in the form of granules, the particle size variation of which is not suitable for feeding to sheep. - 4 It has been found, in a completely unexpected manner, that when the diameter of the granules of coated methionine was from 0.5 to 1.5 mm, and preferably from 0.5 to 1 mm, the level of methionine absorbed was ten times greater than that obtained when the particle size distribution of these granules was outside this range.

Preferably from 0.01 to 1 g of amino acid, preferably methionine or lysine, most preferably methionine, and still more preferably from 0.01 g to 0.2 g, is administered to the animals per kilo of the animal's weight per day.

During administration of the granules containing the protected amino acid to ovines, it was found that the quantity of wool obtained per day was increased by about 20% with respect to a control batch of untreated sheep.

The present invention is illustrated by the following Exanples.

EXAMPLE 1 The protected methionine has the following composition: - methionine: 80 % - stearic acid: 13.3% - 2-vinylpyridylstyrene: 3.3% - polyvinyl alcohol: 1.67% - water: 1.67%.

Merino sheep weighing 34 kg shorn 8 weeks 25 before the experiment are used. Each is shut in a box with a floor grille. They are fed ad libitum with a basic diet consisting of: - 30% lucerne, 70% oats.

To this diet, in a first series of experiments, ground wheat (50 g per day) is added for six weeks before the introduction of methionine. Then protected methionine (3 g/day) or unprotected methionine (3 g/day) is added in experiments 1 and 2 and not in the control experiment.

The supplement (ground wheat with or without methionine) is given for two periods of 30 days. After each period, the weight of wool obtained is compared on a 10 cm x 10 cm sample of skin.

In a second series of experiments, the methionine level in the blood is determined on two batches of animals which have received a dose of protected methionine (6 g per day) or of unprotected methionine (6 g per day) 1, 2, 4, 6, 8 and 12 hours after ingestion.

The results are given in Tables 1 and 2.

EXAMPLE 2 In this example, each animal is given concentrated feed (600 g) supplemented with methionine twice a day and lucerne hay (600 g).

The methionine is added in the form of coated granules the diameter of which varies in the following classes, mixed into the concentrated feed: - 0.52 - 0.65 mm, - 0.65 - 0.82 mm, - 0.82 - 1.02 mm, - 1.02 - 1.62 mm, - 1.62 - 3.17 sun.

The coating has the following compositions - stearic acid · 15% - cellulose acetobutyrate : 25.5% - 2-vinylpyridylstyrene (70/30): 59.5% The concentrated feed has the following composition: - barley : 44% - wheat j 22% - soya cake s 10% - bran : 12% - molassed cabbage-palm cake : 8% - complement : 4% The quantities of methionine contributed per kg weight are indicated in Table 3.

EXAMPLE 4 The procedure of Example 1 was followed but using 30 Merino sheep fed with a diet of 70% lucerne and 30% of oats supplemented with 2 g of protected methionine per sheep per day. After 22 days of treatment the weight of wool obtained on a sample of skin 10 x 12 cm was measured. The results are given in Table 4.

TABLE 1 QUANTITY OF WOOL IN mg/100 cm2/ day CONTROL BATCH ADDITION OF 3 g/day UNPROTECTED METHIONINE ADDITION OF 3 g/day PROTECTED METHIONINE First period 108 109 129 Second period 114 120 137 TABLE 2 BLOOD LEVELS IN MICROMOLES PER LITRE TIME CONTROL ADDITION OF ADDITION OF 6 g/day UN- 6 g/day PROTECTED PROTECTED METHIONINE METHIONINE 1 hour 28 38 280 2 hours 28 45 280 4 hours 28 65 350 6 hours 25 45 540 8 hours 23 33 600 12 hours 21 23 680 ►— VO o 00 -j σι un •u bJ EXPERIMENTS 1 2 93.5 89.1 85.3 81.8 1 3 1 M 1 x | *—· rj ~J , o o r 1 53 αο ι Ζ O pj ω 1 i-t 6.5 10.9 14.7 18.2 27.2 ΓΙΟΝ COATING 1.62 to 3.17 1.02 to 1.62 0.82 to 1.02 0.65 to 0.82 I 0.52 to 0.65 DIAMETER (nun) 0.82 0.79 0.81 0.83 0.81 0.81 0.82 0.77 0.81 0.81 EQUIVALENT QUANTITY OF METHIONINE CONTRIBUTED g/kg (LIVE WEIGHT)075 0.37 0.46 0.37 0.26 0.33 0.26 0.37 0.40 0.31 0.37 MET1 mg/100g CONTROL 0.5 1.0 1.0 1.6 11.9 ! 10.5 7.3 5.4 12.4 14.3 IIONINE TOTAL BLOOD EXPERIMENTAL + 0.1 + 0.5 + 0.6 + 1.3 + 11.6 + 10.1 + + cn tn VO + 12.1 + 13.9 VARIATION TABLE - 9 TABLE 4 Trial Amount of wool g/120cm2 increase compared to the control control 3.91 ± 0.36 0 0.5 mm - 0.8 mm 4.58 ± 0.63 17 % 0.8 mm - 1.25 mm 4.13 ± 0.63 6 % 1.25 mm - 1.60 mm 4.15 ± 0.36 9 % 1.60 mm - 2.00 mm 4.04 ± 0.63 3 %

Claims

1. A method of increasing the quantity of wool produced by a sheep which comprises administering to the sheep an amino acid which is protected from the pH in the rumen of the sheep.

2. A method according to claim 1 in which the amino acid is protected by a polymer which is resistant to alkaline pH but liberates the amino acid at acid pH (pH 3.5) or in the intestine.

3. A method according to claim 1 or 2 in which the amino acid is protected by a layer comprising a basic amino copolymer and a hydrophobic substance of which the melting point is greater than 60‘C and/or of a copolymer insoluble in water.

4. A method according to claim 1 or 2 in which the amino acid is protected by a layer comprising a zeinbased copolymer and a hydrophobic substance the melting point of which substance is greater than 60°C and/or of a copolymer insoluble in water.

5. A method according to claim 3 in which the amino acid is protected by a layer comprising a styrenevinylpyridine copolymer in association with a hydrophobic substance, and a copolymer insoluble in water.

6. A method according to claim 5 in which the hydrophobic substance is stearic acid.

7. A method according to claim 5 or 6 in which the copolymer insoluble in water is ethylcellulose.

8. A method according to any one of the preceding claims 1 to 7 in which the amino acid is methionine or lysine.

9. A method according to any one of claims 1 to 7 in which the amino acid is methionine.

10. A method according to any one of claims 1 to 9 in which the amino acid is provided in granules having a diameter of from 0.5 to 1.5 mm.

11. A method according to claim 10 in which the diameter of the granules is from 0.5 to 1 mm.

12. A method according to any one of the preceding claims in which the daily dose of amino acid is from 0.01 to 1 g of methionine per kg of the sheep's weight per day.

13. A method according to claim 12 in which the daily dose of amino acid is from 0.01 to 0.2 g of methionine per kg of the sheep's weight per day.

14. A method according to claim 1 substantially as hereinbefore described.

15. Wool obtained by a method according to any one of claims 1 to 14

16. The use in increasing the quantity of wool produced by a sheep of a feed supplemented by an amino acid in a protected form.