Hydrolysis of chicken feathers for their use as a protein additive in cattle feed

Objective: To evaluate diverse protein hydrolysis methods of chicken feathers meal on ruminal digestibility for its possible use in the elaboration of protein additives for animal consumption. Design/Methodology/Approach: Four protein hydrolysis methods of chicken feathers meal were evaluated: thermal hydrolysis (TH), chemical hydrolysis (CH), acid-enzymatic hydrolysis (AH) and allkaline-enzymatic hydrolysis (BH). These methods were compared to chicken feathers meal without any treatment as a control into a completely randomized design. Results: All hydrolysis methods reduced the protein content in feathers meal when compared to control (p0.05). Crude protein contents were 97.3, 70, 74.1, 75.5 and 87.7 for Control, TH, CH, AH and BH, respectively. However, the highest value in digestibility was observed in CH (p0.05); whereas the other methods showed digestibility values lower to 20% (p0.05). Implications: Given results show that CH provide higher contents of soluble and digestible protein, as well as higher hydrolysis. Conclusion: These results demonstrate that chicken feathers meal hydrolyzed by chemical methods shows optimal conditions which makes it suitable for elaboration of protein additives to animal consumption.