The influence of levels of protein and starch in rations of sheep on the utilization of protein

Abstract

It has recently been well established that the overall utilization of protein by ruminants represents the result of two opposing processes of ammonia utilization: part of the ammonia produced by the decomposition of food protein may be excreted as urea in the urine, and thus lost to the animal, and part may be built into valuable microbial protein and utilized by the host animal. However, only a few assessments of the nutritive value of proteins supplied in different types of feeds have been conducted on the basis of the metabolic fate of proteins in the ruminant.