Probing equivocal effects of heat processing of legume seeds on performance of ruminants - A review

Abstract

Published studies show that effects of heat processing of legume seeds on animal performance are equivocal. In this article, we used a nutrition model - the DVE/OEB system to re-analyze nutrient supply (such as truly absorbed intestinal protein DVE value and protein degradation balance OEB value) to ruminants from published studies to probe reasons for such equivocal effects and provided some explanation why equivocal effects occurred. The analysis results showed that an unsuitable supply of nutrients in terms of DVE and OEB intakes (negative total OEB intake, oversupply of total DVE values) resulted in an inability to detect the effectiveness of heat processing in altering bypassing protein (BCP) and/or starch (BST) and their effects. The overall nutrient supply to animal in an experiment should be the context in which any animal performance study is developed. The information described in this article may give better understanding of animal performance in relation to nutritive changes occurring upon processing of legume seeds.