| Abstract: | The effect of a continuous duodenal infusion of L‐histidine (His) (8 g/d) on the retention of nitrogen was investigated in two experiments (I, II), each of which was carried out using two young bulls. In Exps. I and II, the animals (150–250 kg BW) were fitted with a re‐entrant cannula in the proximal duodenum and were fed diets containing 125 g CP/kg DM and 11.5 MJ ME/kg DM. A third experiment (III) using two young bulls (140–200 kg BW) fitted with a simple T‐cannula was carried out infusing 6 g L‐His. The animals were fed a low protein diet (94 g CP/kg DM and 11 MJ ME/kg DM). The study was done to find out whether or not L‐His is the first limiting amino acid (AA) for growing ruminants. N retention was 28 and 31, 38 and 38, 22 and 24 g/d without L‐His infusion and with L‐His infusion for Exps. I, II and III, respectively. Both in the experiments with a standard protein supply (I, II) and in the experiment with reduced protein supply (III), no significant differences were found between periods with and without infusion of L‐His. The utilisation of duodenal NAN varied between 39% and 50% and was also not significantly influenced by the duodenal infusion of L‐His. No significant effect was observed on the flow of AA into the duodenum. The faecal excretion of AA was also not significantly influenced by the infusion of L‐His. The utilisation of individual amino acids as calculated by the ratio of retained AA to intestinal apparently digested AA, did not differ significantly following the duodenal infusion of L‐His. As expected, the utilisation of His decreased. Of the different essential AA, L‐His was the most utilised (80%) followed by Arg (72%), Met (60%), Leu (45%) and Lys (44%), during periods without supplementation of L‐His. It is concluded that the intestinal supply of L‐His from the basal diet was sufficient for the potential growth level of animals under these experimental conditions. In all AA present at the proximal duodenum, L‐His could have at first a limiting effect on the performance of growing young bulls with high body gain. Arg and Met, but not Lys, could be second or co‐limiting AA. |
