Comparison of Soybean Meal, Formaldehyde Treated Soybean Meal, Urea and Starea for Steers

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Abstract
Thirty-six Hereford steers weighing 374 kg were allotted (nine per group) to four groups and fed a basal corn ration supplemented with either soybean meal (SBM), formaldehyde treated soybean meal (TSBM; 4 ml 40% formaldehyde/100 g soy protein), urea or Starea5 (an expansion-processed mixture of grain, starch and urea) in a 56-day feeding trial. Twelve animals (three per group) receiving the same diets used in the feeding trial were restricted to 90% of ad libitum intake and were used to measure changes in rumen and blood ammonia levels and blood urea nitrogen levels at various times after feeding a single meal. Even though there were no differences in feed intake, steers fed the SBM supplemented ration grew faster (P < .05) than steers fed the basal ration supplemented with TSBM, urea or Starea; there were no differences in the rate of gain of animals fed the TSBM, urea or Starea rations. Rumen NH3-N levels indicated that the hydrolysis of Starea may be prolonged slightly compared to urea. There were no differences in the level of rumen NH3-N or BUN when SBM or TSBM were used. The steers fed TSBM gained less (P < .05) than those fed SBM even though there were no differences in metabolites measured in blood and rumen fluid. The difference in performance may be due to the level of formaldehyde used, since partial results of the digestion trial indicated that the soy protein may have been over-treated lowering its apparent digestibility. Copyright © 1973. American Society of Animal Science . Copyright 1973 by American Society of Animal Science

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