Poultry Science: Extension & Outreach: Soybeans
Metabolizable Energy of Soybean Meal for Poultry
Soybean meal (SBM) contributes between 20 and 30% of the metabolizable energy in most poultry diets. Thus, an accurate assessment of its caloric value is essential for accurate feed formulation. While soybean meal has more gross energy than corn (4200 vs. 3900 kcal/kg, respectively, as fed basis), its carbohydrate fraction is poorly digested and absorbed. The ME of soybean meal is thus only between 50 and 60% of its gross energy. The major factor affecting the ME of soybean meal is fiber, usually the presence of differing amounts of soybean hulls. At times, meals of exceptionally poor quality will have appreciable amounts of foreign material. The ME of SBM can be estimated from this equation: ME (kcal/kg) = 2778 - 66 (% crude fiber), assuming a dry matter content of 88%. In solvent-extracted meals, the level of lipid is generally low and its variation does not greatly affect metabolizable energy.
Example: Calculation of the ME of a sample
of SBM with 4.8% CF
ME (kcal/kg) = 2778 - 66 (CF) (88% Dry matter)
= 2778 - 66 (4.8)
= 2461
Note: The r2 of the equation is relatively low (0.61), presumably reflecting unaccounted for variations in carbohydrate fractions and residual oil.
- Metabolizable Energy of Soybean Meal PowerPoint Presentation
- Soy Products as Energy Sources
for Poultry by Nick Dale
PDF file
Published in Soy In Animal Nutrition
Solvent Extracted Dehulled Soybean Meal
Solvent Extracted Soybean Meal with Hulls
Soybean Meal with Foreign Material