Cell wall content as a predictor of metabolisable energy value of poultry feedingstuffs

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Abstract
Diets (48) were tested to develop equations for predicting the apparent metabolizable energy values corrected to zero N retention (AMEn), or practical poultry feedingstuffs. The effectiveness of different fiber indicators (crude fiber, acid detergent fiber, lignin, neutral detergent fiber and cell wall content) as predictors of AMEn values was assessed. The most efficient measure proved to be cell wall content obtained by an enzymatic procedure (pronase and .alpha.-amylase). The best combinations of variables were, in decreasing order: gross energy (GE), crude protein (CP) and cell wall (CW); ether extract (EE), ash and CW; EE, CP, starch and sugars. When GE, CP and CW variables were used, a significant constant appeared in the linear equation. Another equation without a constant was calculated, using an exponent (1.5) for the CW variable. The residual SD (0.20 MJ/kg) of this equation was about the same as that of the equation with the constant.