True metabolizable energy values of a number of feedingstuffs and complete diets as determined in two laboratories.
True metabolizable energy (TME) values were measured on six samples of soybean meal (SBM), two samples of corn, and five laying hen rations mixed at two different times The determinations were carried out in two different laboratories, the University of Guelph (UG) and Canada Packers (CP) Research Centre, with a view of checking interlaboratory agreement. The TME values of four out of the six SBM samples agreed very well between the two laboratories. For the two samples with results that did not agree well, the difference was as much as 8%. The TME values of the two corn samples determined at the UG laboratory were about 6 to 9% higher than those obtained at the CP Centre depending on whether these were fed alone or mixed with a basal diet. In the case of the layer rations mixed at two different times, reasonably good interlaboratory agreement of the TME results occurred for only three of the five rations at each of the two mixings. The results of the remaining two rations varied by about 7 to 9% between laboratories. These results indicate the need to improve the reproducibility of TME values between laboratories before the method can have practical application. A number of factors possibly contributing to the significant interlaboratory differences noted are discussed.
D000821:Animal Feed; D000818:Animals; D002645:Chickens / Q000502:physiology*; D004734:Energy Metabolism