Effects of treatment methods on the nutritional value of cotton seed cake for laying hens

doi:10.4236/as.2010.12007

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Vol.1, No.2, 51-55 (2010)

doi:10.4236/as.2010.12007

Agricultural Sciences

Effects of treatment methods on the nutritional value of

cotton seed cake for laying hens

David Friday Apata

Department of Animal Production, University of Ilorin, Ilorin, Nigeria; [email protected]

Received 17 June 2010; revised 8 July 2010; accepted 21 July 2010.

ABSTRACT

The effects of treatment methods on the nutri-

tive value of cotton seed cake (CSC) for laying

hens were examined. Olympia laying hens (n =

96) were assigned randomly to a 2 × 3 factorial

combination of fermented or unfermented CSC

supplemented with enzyme, Vitamin E and fer-

rous sulphate over a 4-week feeding period.

CSC was incorporated at 15% in the diets. Re-

sult s sho wed no significant differenc es (P > 0.05)

in feed intake, body weight gain and egg weight

due to treatments. However, hen-day egg pro-

duction was significantly reduced (P < 0.05)

among dietary treatments compared with the

control. Layers fed on unfermented CSC + Vi-

tamin E and unfermented CSC + FeSO4 had the

lowest (P < 0.05) values for packed cell volume

and haemoglobin. Treatment differences in red

blood cell and white blood cell were not sig-

nificant (P > 0.05). Serum concentration of total

protein among diet ary treatmen t s was lower (P <

0.05) than the control, while albumin and cho-

lesterol values were similar (P > 0.05) for all

treatments. Generally, activities of alanine and

aspartate aminotransferases increased (P < 0.05)

among CSC dietary treatments compared with

the control diet. The interaction between CSC

form and additives had no significant effect on

any of the parameters. The results of this study

indicate that the treatment methods employed

for CSC could not significantly improve its nu-

tritive value for egg production at 15% level in

the diet of laying hen.

Keywords: Cotton Seed Cake; Haematology;

Serum Constituents; Laying Hen

1. INTRODUCTION

One major limiting factor in the expansion of egg pro-

duction enterprise is the high cost of feedstuffs such as

soybean meal, groundnut cake and fish meal. This has

made egg production expensive, thereby worsening the

intake of protein sources by the populace of developing

countries. One approach to reduce pressure on conven-

tional protein ingredients is greater utilization of alterna-

tive sources of dietary protein alongside other strategies.

Cotton seed cake (CSC) is a by-product of the cotton

processing industry. The cake is rich in protein (42%)

but it contains gossypol which has been recognized since

the turn of the century to be toxic to animals [1,2]. In

monogastric animals, gossypol interfered with protein

digestion, bind lysine (making it unavailable) and re-

duced growth rate and productivity [3,4]. There is an-

other problem as the cake contains a high level of fibre,

perhaps 23% because undelinted seeds are used in the

processing [5]. This high fibre content has limited the

extent to which it can be used in the diets of poultry

which lack the appropriate enzymes capable of degrad-

ing fibre [6,7].

Currently, CSC is used by feed millers in Nigeria at

7.5% inclusion level with ferrous sulphate supplement to

inactivate gossypol in balanced layers feed. This chemi-

cal is usually not available to local farmers at farm sites.

It becomes imperative therefore that simple treatment

method be found that will overcome the gossypol and

degrade the high fibre in CSC so that its nutritive value

could be enhanced. Vitamin E is an antioxidant that pre-

vents the damage of free radicals at the cellular level [8].

This study was designed to investigate the effective-

ness of enzyme, vitamin E and ferrous sulphate treat-

ments in improving the nutritive value of CSC for laying

hens.

2. MATERIALS AND METHODS

Cotton seed cake was obtained from a feed miller in

Ilorin. Samples (20 kg) of the cake were placed in a dou-

ble layer polythene bag, tied up and placed in an empty

plastic drum, sealed and fermented for a period of 7 days.

Thereafter, the fermented cake was removed and sun-

D. F. Apata / Agricultural Sciences 1 (2010) 51-55

dried for 3 days. The fermented and a batch of the un-

fermented cake (20 kg) were used in preparation of the

diets described below.

Seven isonitrogenous (18% crude protein) and isoalo-

ric (2623 kcal/kg ME) experimental diets (Table 1) were

formulated by incorporating fermented or unfermented

CSC at 15% and supplemented with enzyme, vitamin E

and Ferrous Sulphate (FeSO4) at 0.01, 0.03 and 0.20%,

respectively in a 2 × 3 factorial design. Maize soybean

meal-based diet was used as control. The enzyme prepa-

ration (Allzyme) derived from Aspergillu s niger contains

amylase, beta-glucanase, cellulase, pectinase, phytase,

protease and xylanase activities. The level of enzyme

supplementation was chosen according to manufacturer’s

recommendation.

Ninety six hens of the Olympia strain that had been in

lay for 10 weeks were purchased from a commercial

poultry farm in Ilorin. The birds were individually caged

in a poultry pen which was illuminated at night and were

randomly assigned to the dietary treatments. The trial

lasted for 4 weeks. Feed intake was measured daily and

body weight weekly. Records of egg production per cage

swere kept daily throughout the experimental period. All

eggs laid each day were weighed individually.

Table 1. Composition of the experimental diets (%).

Unfermented Cotton Seed Cake Fermented Cotton Seed Cake Control

Ingredient 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Maize 50.00 50.00 50.00 50.00 50.00 50.00 50.00

Wheat bran 12.64 12.62 12.45 13.14 13.12 12.95 15.85

Soybean meal 12.50 12.50 12.50 12.50 12.50 12.50 27.50

Cotton seed cake 15.00 15.00 15.00 15.00 15.00 15.00 0.00

Fish meal 1.00 1.00 1.00 1.00 1.00 1.00 1.00

Blood meal 3.50 3.50 3.50 3.00 3.00 3.00 0.30

Oyster shell 1.50 1.50 1.50 1.50 1.50 1.50 1.50

Bone meal 3.00 3.00 3.00 3.00 3.00 3.00 3.00

aPremix 0.25 0.25 0.25 0.25 0.25 0.25 0.25

DL-Methionine 0.15 0.15 0.15 0.15 0.15 0.15 0.15

Lysine 0.15 0.15 0.15 0.15 0.15 0.15 0.15

Salt (Nacl) 0.30 0.30 0.30 0.30 0.30 0.30 0.30

Enzyme 0.01 - - 0.01 - - -

Vitamin E - 0.03 - - 0.03 - -

FeSO4 - - 0.20 - - 0.20 -

bChemical Composition (%)

Crude protein 18.08 18.10 18.30 18.07 18.05 18.20 18.00

Crude fibre 5.36 5.31 5.32 5.34 5.30 5.34 4.71

Ether extract 4.01 4.01 4.01 3.92 3.92 3.92 3.89

ME (Kcal/kg) 2623 2623 2623 2625 2625 2625 2624

Lysine 1.17 1.17 1.17 1.19 1.19 1.19 1.22

Methionine 0.52 0.52 0.52 0.53 0.53 0.53 0.49

aProvided 1.5 mg retinol, 25 mg cholecalciferol, 16 mg α-tocopherol, 1mg menadione, 0.8 mg thiamine, 2.4 mg riboflavin, 14 mg nicotinic acid, 4

mg calcium D-pantothenate, 1.4 mg pyridoxine, 10 mg cyanocobalamin, 0.4 mg folic acid, 0.02 mg biotin, 120 mg choline chloride, 0.62 mg zinc

bacitracin, 36 mg avaten, 40 mg Mn, 18 mg Zn, 0.8 mg Cu, 0.09 mg Co, 20 mg Fe and 0.04 mg Se kg-1 diet; bDetermined values except for me-

tabolisable energy (ME), lysine and methionine which were calculated from the published (NRC, 1995) compositions of the ingredients used.

D. F. Apata / Agricultural Sciences 1 (2010) 51-55

At the end of the experimental period, four hens were

randomly selected from each dietary treatment, fasted

overnight and blood samples collected from the wing

vein. Blood was collected into bottles containing EDTA

anticoagulant for haematology and clean dry bottles for

serum constituent analysis. Serum samples were sepa-

rated by centrifugation at 1600 × g for 15 min. and

stored at –20℃. The whole blood was analysed for

packed cell volume (PCV), haemoglobin (Hb), red blood

cell count (RBC) and white blood cell count (WBC)

using standard haematological techniques [10]. Serum

total protein, albumin, cholesterol, alanine amino trans-

ferase (ALT. EC 2.6.1.1) and aspartate amino transferase

(AST, EC 2.6.1.1) activities were measured using com-

mercial clinical investigation kits (Wako, Osaka, Japan).

3. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS

Data collected were subjected to a two-way factorial

analysis and Duncan’s multiple range test to determine

the significant difference at the 0.05 level [11].

4. RESULTS AND DIS CUSSION

Laying performance of hens was affected by dietary

CSC treatments at the end of the feeding trial (Table 2).

There were no significant differences (P > 0.05) in feed

intake, weight gain and egg weight due to treatments.

However, hen-day egg production was significantly re-

duced (P < 0.05) among dietary treatments compared

with the control. The highest egg production (56.7%) in

CSC diets achieved by hens fed fermented CSC + en-

zyme was lower (P < 0.05) than the control (67.00%).

Layers feed consumption and body weight gain were

unaffected by treatment methods, probably because the

fermentation process and the additives used in the diets

were unable to cause appreciable reduction in the gos-

sypol level. The feed consumed by the layers appeared

to be principally used for body maintenance. This view

is similar to that reported by Olorede and Longe [12]

that hens can use feed or metabolizable energy intake to

fulfill maintenance requirement, thereby leaving little for

egg production. In general, the decrease in egg produc-

tion observed with dietary treatments of CSC might be

the consequence of residual effect of gossypol that binds

with the cake’s protein thereby making it unavailable to

the hens for egg production. The marginal improvement

found with the fermented cake + enzyme may be attrib-

uted to the combination of fermentation process and en-

zyme degradation of the fibre that made nutrients avail-

able to the birds. This is in agreement with Babalola et al.

[7] who reported improved nutrient availability to pullet

chicks fed β-xylanase supplemented castor seed meal

diet.

The haematological values are presented in Table 3.

For all treatments, PCV and Hb were lower than the

control with the exception of fermented CSC + enzyme

which had similar PCV value with the control. No sig-

nificant differences (P > 0.05) were observed for RBC

and WBC. The decreases in PCV and Hb values in hens

fed diets containing unfermented CSC or fermented CSC

+ Vitamin E, or ferrous sulphate, suggest inadequate

nutrient utilisation in the hens. This may be partly due to

the residual effect of gossypol on blood variables. A re-

duction in haematological parameter has been reported

by Apata [13] and Rinchard et al. [5] in chicks and fish

fed diets containing high levels of legume seed meal and

cotton seed meal, respectively. However, Mitruka and

Table 2. Performance of laying hens fed diets containing different treatments of unfermented or fermented cotton seed cake (CSC).

Dietary treatments Feed intake

(g per hen day-1)

Weight gain

(g per hen day-1)

Hen-day Egg

production (%) Egg weight (g)

Unfermented CSC + enzyme 83.0a 3.4a 45.7b 54.6b

Unfermented CSC + Vit. E 86.7a 3.5a 44.3b 54.4b

Unfermented CSC + FeSO4 81.0a 2.9a 43.5b 53.2b

Fermented CSC + enzyme 85.8a 3.9a 56.7ab 56.7b

Fermented CSC + Vit. E 82.5a 3.1a 53.1b 56.4b

Fermented CSC + FeSO4 78.6a 3.4a 52.8b 55.0b

Control 106.5b 5.6b 67.0a 60.1a

F X A NS NS NS NS

SEM 7.2 1.1 6.4 3.8

Values in a column with the same letter do not differ significantly at P < 0.05. NS = not significant; SEM = standard error of means; F = test in-

gredient form; A = additives

D. F. Apata / Agricultural Sciences 1 (2010) 51-55

Tab le 3. Haematological values of laying hens fed diets containing different treatments of unfermented or fermented cotton seed

cake (CSC).

Dietary treatments PVC (%) Hb (g/dL) RBC (× 1012/L) WBC (× 109/L)

Unfermented CSC + enzyme 24.0ab 8.1ab 4.37 9.67

Unfermented CSC + Vit. E 18.0b 4.3a 3.50 11.30

Unfermented CSC + FeSO4 18.5b 5.1a 4.09 10.85

Fermented CSC + enzyme 27.0a 7.8ab 4.00 12.20

Fermented CSC + Vit. E 20.0b 6.0ab 4.03 9.97

Fermented CSC + FeSO4 22.3b 7.1ab 4.10 9.60

Control 30a 9.1b 4.90 9.10

F x A Ns Ns Ns Ns

SEM 1.6 0.41 0.19 1.02

Values in a column with the same letter do not differ significantly at p < 0.05; PCV = packed cell volume; Hb = haemoglobin; RBC = red blood

cell; WBC = white blood cell; Ns = not significant; F = tests ingredient form; A = additives; SEM = standard error of means

Table 4 . Serum biochemical constituents of laying hens fed diets containing different treatments of unfermented or fermented

cotton seed cake (CSC).

Dietary treatments Total protein

(mmol/L)

Albumin

(mmol/L)

Cholesterol

(mmol/L) ALT (IUL-1) AST (IUL-1)

Unfermented CSC + enzyme 23b 5.3 1.8 8.67b 118b

Unfermented CSC + Vit. E 26b 6.0 2.5 12.00b 116b

Unfermented CSC + FeSO4 22b 5.5 1.5 20.00c 216d

Fermented CSC + enzyme 24b 5.0 1.5 19.33c 163c

Fermented CSC + Vit. E 27b 5.3 1.5 19.33c 163c

Fermented CSC + FeSO4 26b 5.3 2.1 13.67b 134c

Control 31a 4.0 1.1 4.00a 90a

F x A Ns Ns Ns Ns Ns

SEM 1.08 0.67 0.90 1.06 13.86

Values in a column with the same letter do not differ significantly at p < 0.05; AST = aspartate aminotransferase activity; ALT = alanine ami-

notransferase activity; Ns = not significant; F = tests ingredient form; A = additives; SEM = standard error of means

Rawnsley [14] reported 7.00-18.6 g/dl as normal values

of Hb in chickens. Thus, a range of 4.3-5.1 g/dl obtained

in this study for unfermented CSC + Vitamin E, or FeSO4

fell short of the range consistent with good layers health.

Of the serum biochemical constituents, total protein

among dietary treatments was lower (P < 0.05) than the

control, whereas the ALT and AST were higher (P < 0.05)

than the control (Table 4), with no significant differ-

ences (P > 0.05) observed in albumin and cholesterol

values for all treatments. Decrease in serum total protein

concentration irrespective of the treatment method cor-

roborates the inadequacy of these simple technologies in

improving the nutritional quality of this feedstuff espe-

cially at the level of inclusion. The increase in serum

ALT and AST activities indicate release of the ami-

notransferases from cytoplasm to blood stream which is

probably due to liver and/or other tissues damage. A

similar observation has been reported by Muhammad

and Oloyede [15] for chicks fed femented Temialia cat-

tapa seed meal-based diet.

In conclusion, the results of this study show that the

different treatment methods employed for CSC could not

significantly improve its nutritive value for egg produc-

tion at 15% level in the diet of laying hen.

D. F. Apata / Agricultural Sciences 1 (2010) 51-55

5. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This study was partly funded by the senate research grant of the Uni-

versity of Ilorin. The author is grateful for this financial assistance.

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