EffiN

With regard to competition for food between humans and farm animals and the potential to emit environmentally harmful substances, protein utilisation efficiency is an important indicator. Protein usilisation efficiency expresses the proportion of the feed protein that is converted into protein in animal-based food. At current, protein utilisation efficiency can be easily determined based on animal weight. However, this method is imprecise, so that misjudgements can occur and rough orders of magnitude can be expressed at best. For more accurate determinations, the complete faeces and urine of the animals must be collected over a period of time. However, this is time-consuming and requires the animals to be involved in the measurements for a certain period. In practice, therefore, only the simple method is suitable at current.

The aim of this project is to improve the simple method for determining protein utilisation efficiency in broiler chickens and pigs based on cross-study literature evaluations. Consideration of additional data that are available in the agricultural practice may serve to make protein utilisation efficiency determinations more accurate. In addition, the simple method is also be made more suitable for scientific studies. This would promote animal welfare, as the animals would have to be involved for longer periods of time for data collection in fewer cases.

Running time:
15.11.2024 - 14.11.2027