Dietary protein and amino acids-consideration of the undigestible fraction.

A case is made for the application of true ileal amino acid digestibility and true ileal reactive lysine digestibility (lysine availability) in poultry nutrition. Technical aspects of the true ileal digestibility assays are reviewed, as are factors influencing amino acid digestibility in the broiler. There is considerable variation in amino acid digestibility and lysine availability both within and among diverse feedstuffs. Differences in mean amino acid digestibility among feedstuffs, and the variability in the digestibility of an amino acid within a feedstuff should both be taken into account during least-cost dietary formulation.