News from the Midwest Sectional Meetings, March 16-18, 1998, Des Moines, Iowa
Contact:
Nathalie Trottier, MSU Department of Animal Science, 517-432-5140
Jamie DePolo, Outreach Communications, 517-432-1555, ext. 22.
Protein Essentials
There are five amino acids that are called limiting, meaning that if an animal doesn't meet the requirements for these amino acids, then protein synthesis will not occur. Michigan State University assistant professor of animal science Nathalie Trottier is trying to estimate the limiting amino acid requirements of lactating sows by taking blood samples from their mammary glands to precisely measure five amino acids at one time, instead of the conventional way of measuring one at a time.
"The more you feed a sow, the more amino acids the mammary gland will take up, until the maximum uptake has been reached," Trottier said. "At this point of maximum uptake, the mammary gland has maximized its milk protein capacity and will not take up anymore. This plateau means that the mammary gland has the minimum requirements for maximum protein synthesis."
Trottier also said that this method of assessing the requirements of five amino acids at one time will accommodate the changes in the livestock industry as new breeds are developed, so that their nutrition requirements can more easily be distinguished and met. Trottier will present her research at the joint Midwest Sectional Meeting of the American Society of Animal Science and the American Dairy Science Association in Des Moines, Iowa, from March 16-18. ####