KOCHIA SEED AS A COMPONENT OF THE DIET OF TURKEY POULTS: EFFECTS OF DIFFERENT METHODS OF SAPONIN REMOVAL OR INACTIVATION

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Abstract
Two experiments were conducted to investigate methods of improving the nutritive value of kochia seed for turkey poults by removing or inactivating saponins present in the seed. Whole seed was washed with 1% NaOH to remove saponin, or whole seed was mixed with phytosterols to inactivate saponin. The weight gain, feed consumption, feed:gain ratio, and mortality were recorded for turkey poults fed diets containing 15 or 30% kochia seed. Performance equal to the control diet was obtained with a diet containing 15% kochia seed, which had been percolated and stirred with 1% NaOH. Grinding or heat-treating washed kochia seed did not improve performance. Diets containing kochia seed percolated without stirring with 1% NaOH showed a small nonsignificant improvement in growth rate associated with supplementation with leucine, threonine, and valine. The addition of sterols to unwashed kochia seed reduced the harmful effects of the saponins, but only partially at the level tested. Unwashed kochia seed, without addition of sterols, caused heavy mortality and reduced growth performance in comparison with the control diet and diets containing 1% NaOH washed kochia seed.