Effect of Water-Soaking of the Domestic Barley on the Phosphorus Utilization for Chicks

Abstract

Experiments were conducted to determine the effect of soaking barley on the phosphorus utilization for chicks. Three varieties of domestic barley, Hoshimasari, Katorimugi and Sanadamugi were used. Each barley ground by impact mill with 1.0mm screen was mixed well with the same weight of water and incubated for 16 hours at room temperature. Then, it was dried in a forced draft oven at 40°C and reground. The experimental diets containing 55-58% untreated or treated barley which were low in phosphorus content were fed to 8-day-old chicks for 2 weeks. At the end of the second week, the chicks were killed and the left tibia was removed from each chick for the bone ash determination.
By soaking in water, 35-59% of phytate phosphorus in all of the samples was hydrolyzed to inorganic phosphorus. Body weight gain, feed consumption and feed efficiency were significantly improved by feeding every varieties of soaked barley. Metabolizable energy of experimental diets tended to be improved by soaking in two varieties of barley, Hoshimasari and Sanadamugi. Increase in tibia ash content by feeding soaked barley was equivalent to that by addition of inorganic phosphorus to corresponding untreated barley diet at the level of 0.05-0.07%.
These results indicate that soaking barley improve not only body weight gain and feed efficiency but the phosphorus utilization for chicks.