Resumen 16

Kessler,-M; Belmar,-R; Ellis,-N

45 London Road, Wheatley, Oxfordshire OX9 1YJ, UK.

Tropical-Agriculture. 1990, 67: 1, 16-20; 14 ref.

Diets containing autoclaved (1/2 h or 1 h at 120 ø C) Canavalia ensiformis seeds, 300 g/kg were fed to chickens from weeks 1-8 or weeks 5-8 of an 8-week growth period and compared with a commercial diet of sorghum and soya. C. ensiformis reduced growth rates by 35-55%, reduced feed intake and feed conversion efficiency and caused enlargement of the pancreas and liver. Duration of autoclaving and feeding period had no significant effect on growth rate. Mortality and intestinal lesions were absent in all treatments, suggesting that the toxic effects of the lectins were eliminated by autoclaving. The poor growth rate in chickens fed on C. ensiformis may be due to the presence in the diet of other antinutritive factors such as canavanine. It is concluded that autoclaving alone is insufficient to allow C. ensiformis to be incorporated in commercial diets and produce satisfactory growth rates.