Comparative efficiency of urea and biuret as nitrogen

trdian Journal of Animal Sciences S5 (6) : 444-450, June 1985 .
Comparative efficiency of urea and biuret as nitrogen supplements
for buffalo heifers
N. SAGAR REDDY' and
v. D.
MVDGAL"
National Dairy Research /nslilule, KCTt:a/, H(JT),ona 132001
R eceived: 13 May 198)
ABSTRACT
Eighteen Murrah buffalo heifen were divided into) .81"oups (6 each). aod were fed
control (A), urea-supplemented (B) or biuret-supplemented (C) diets. In groups B and C,
SO·~ DCP of t be control ration was replaced either by urea or biuret. The di.geslibilitit5 of
dry mailer. olpnic matter, ether ell lraci and crude fibre were si&nlficaody (P < O.Oj)
different among treatments. The mtmien balances in the control and urea.- and biuretfed aroups were 22.1 ± 1.7, 19.6 ± 1.9 and 24. 2 ± 1.9 gfday respectively. The averaae
daily gains of 5~9 ± 7.3, 579 ± 26.4 and 530 ± 8.7 i were recorded for control , and
urea- and biutet-supplemented groupS respecti vely. The feed-con \iersion efficiency for
every I kg lain was maximum in the control .81"oup followed by those in the urea- aDd
biuret-fed groups respectively. The averaiW vaIues ·of urea-N in blood were highly
significant (P < 0.01) between the treatment aDd sampling hours.
The average per cen! volumes for TOH spa<:e werc 73.2, 74.3 arid 73 .5 in the control,
and urea- and biuret-fed groups respectively. Tho total body water of buffalo heifcn
pee 100 kg live weight were: 67.9 (control). 68.9 (urea) and 611.2% (biuret) respectively. No
aignitlcant difference was observW in proteiD, fat and ash X in the body of the 3 iTOUr..
The biological half-lives of injected H' W~ ]03, 104 and JOJ hr in the contra, and
urea an d billt\.'"t-fed groups respccth'ciy. The water turnover rate (ml}'kg/24 hr for the
conttol, and urea- and biuret_red groups were 85.4, 85.7 an d 85.7 ml respectively.
Tbe present studies were undertaken
to compare the efficiency of urea and
biuret as protein replacements for feed
utilization, growth and plasma nitrogen
constituents, and body composition when
fed to buffalo heifers.
roughage in the abovo experiment. Tho
animals were offered concentrate m.ixturo
at about 9 AM daily, followed by green
maize I br after. The concentrate mixtures
were made isonitrogenous aDd isoca.Ioric.
The concentrate mixture fed to control
group (A) contained 31 paris maize, 36
MATERIALS AND METHODS
parts groundnut--cake, 20. parts wheat
Eighteen Murrah buffalo (Buba/us bran, 10 parts molasses, 2 parts mineral
buba/is) heifer calves, of 6-12 months of mixture and I part salt. The anima.J.s in
age, were selected and allotted randomly groups Band C received a concentrate
to 3 comparable groups of similar body mixture in which 50 % of the DCP was
weight and age (Table I). The growth contributcd by either urea (group B) or
studies were continued for J80 days, Sen biuret: (group C). The concentrate mixet a/. (1978) feeding standards were follow- turc·in the urea-fed group contained 50
ed. The ration schedule was changed at parts tn3iz.e, 6 parts groundnut-cake, 28
every fortnight aner taking the body parts wheat bran, 3 parts urea, 10 parts
weight of thc animals. Green maize molasses, 2 parts mineral mixture and
(Zea mays) was used as a sole source of 1 part salt. In the biuret-fed group the
concentrate mixture was sim.iJac to that
in the urea-fed group except that wheat
Present address: lScicntist, 'Scientist 5-4.
bran
aod biuret were in 27.5 and 3.5 parts
Division of Dairy cattle Nutrition and
respectiveJy.
PhY$ioI.olY.
1une 1985J
UREA AND BlUREI' AS NITROGEN SUPPLEMENTS FOR BUFFALOES
Table I. Deta ils or -experimental growing
buffaw-calves
Body composition studjeJ
Tritiated water space (TOH) technique
was followe d to determine body composj.
tion of growing buffalo heifer calves. Tho
Ale of heifer
Initial body
Animal
ealves at the
tritiated water (H'~), procured from Bhabha
wt (kg)
No.s!art of the
Atomic Research Centre, Bombay, was
ex perimr nt (days)
administered through the jugular vein @
141£Cijkg body weight. Approximately
C(Jnlro/ group
JO .ml of blood samples were collected from the jugular vein on the other
393
136
1522
side
just before the injection, and sub~
ltO
366
1535
sequently' at 1,2,3, 4, 5 and 6 hr after
96
1635
injection. Thereafter, the blood samples
102
1526
38'
were drawn at 24, 48, 72. 96 and 120 hr.
92
1642
Heparin was used as anli-coagulant. Aner
197
1615
collection. the blood samples were centriM,..
30 1 ± 36.3
103.7 ::i:. 1.3
fuged at 3,000 rpm for IS min to separate
plasma.
Urea.j'e d group
The protein in the: plasma was pre1,.1
US
cipitated (SpringeJI and Wright, 1975)
120
373
1532
with dioxane (4 ml of dioxane/ml of
1573
10.
30.
plasma) and separated by centrifugation
342
100
1547
at 10,000 rpm for 20 min. One millilitro
102
183
of protein-free aliquot was mixed with
1688
10 ml of Bray's M:in tillation flu id (1960) in
19.
1705
78
scintillation
vial.
292 ± 33 .8
104.0 ± 6.2
The radioactivity (H3) was measured
B iuret-led group
in a Packard PLD Tricarh Liquid Scintil·
)),
122
1553
lation Spectrometer (Model 13 PLD 00099)
328
120
1558
at 20~C and the TOH was estimated by
11 0
u sing Searle method (1970).
J'74
100
318
The tolal body water was estimated.
according to the prediction equation for
18J
IMI
90
buffaloes:
174
1702
82
Total body water Y = 1.70 + 0.92 X
213 ± 30.6
104 ± 6.6
M=
where, X is the TOH space (Chandra·
sekhar E't al., 1980).
Total protein, fat and ash were esti~
The buffalo heifers were weighed fortnightly. At day 90 during tbe experi- mated according to Searle (1970).
mental period a digestion-cwn-metabolisrn
RESU LTS AND DISCUSSION
trial of 7-day coJlecHon period was conThe urea-red group was comparable to
ducted on all the 18 heifers. The feeding
the
control group in dry-matter consumpschedule at the time of metabolism trial
tion
(Table 2). Biuret -fed group showed
is given in T$ble 2.
Once in a month, blood samples were maximum feed intake (P < 0.01). The
collected from 2 representative buffalo digestibility coefficients for dry matter
heifers in each group from jugular vein were comparable between urea andconrrol
at 0, 2, 4, 6 and 8 hr after concentrate groups; biuret showed the minimum
mixture was allowed to the animals. The (P < 0.05). Yarnoor el at. (1968) showed
feed was analysed for organic constituents, that biu-.:et reeding decreased the DM
plasma protein and NPN (AOAC, 1970). digestibility a, compared to urca. HowThe urea- N was estimated as 'per the ever, . Mudgal and Lal (1980) reported
method of Wihenga et ai. (1971) .
that. in buffaloes, the dry-matter digesti~
,.
'"
'"
'"
""'n
1,.,
".
..,
REDDY AND MUDGAL
Table 2.
IVol. 55, No.6
Dry-matta consumption and digestibility C(Jcfficients for various nutrients in
buffalo hcifer3
Co ntrol
Pa mmetenl
Urea
Biuret
16? ±5.9
49 .61:1.4
3.8 .1::0.2
J66±S.9
46.2--'-1.2
4.2±0.1
2.3~O. 1
2.S±O.O
Statistical
significallClC
--._-_.Average body wt (kg)
163+ 7.8
45.6 ± 1.6
Met:tbo 1i~ body size (ka W"'''J
3.6 ::: 0.2
Tota! dry- ma tter inta iceiday (kg)
Dry-mailer intake! 100 kg body WI (kg) 2.2±O.l
7.9 ± 2.2
Dry-ma tter intake!!':s W··IO (g)
~2.3±3 .7
.... ---------
NS
NS
..•••
91.4± 1.4
Digestibility coeffi cients
63 .2 ,"~ 0.6
Dry matter
Organic matter
Crude protein
ETher ext ract
Crude fi bre
Nitrog..: n~frc:e extract
62.4,t 1.2
6G.6 ± J.J
6.3.8±2.S
64.2:1 1.1
66 .6 ±1.2
67.610 1.4
66.7± 0.5
65.0 ":": 1.2
66.9= I.J
66.6 10.7
66.8 ± 1.0
•
.SS.9±0.S
63.0±0.7
59.7 ±. O.1
•
NS
•
6 1.9 ± O.1i
•
62.S±1. 1
64,.O±0.9
NS
", Significant at 5 ~~ level.; u , siani6cant at I % level.
Table 3.
Nitrogen balaru:cs
---Ure,
Contro l
------
------- -
- --
Biuret
-
Statistical
si&nificance
- -~
Total intake (8)
80.S ± 3. 1
85.9± 3.7
92.2±3.0
•
Excretio n through faeces (»)
27.3 ±0.9
33.7=":: 1.1
37.1±I.S
••
Excretion throUi\h urine (s)
31.3 ± 3.2
3S.6 ±4.4
30.9± 1.6
Total bat:moc (g)
22.1± 1.1 ___ 19.6 ± 1.9 _ _-='.::
'-::
' :::
"'.:.'-:-:'_ _ __ _
. , Si.aoificant a t 5 % k ... e1; •• , si.a nificant at I % level.
Table 4. Feed-convcr&iol) efficiency o\'cr the entire experimental peritd
-
-----
--Biuret
Control
- -~
.-_.
... '"
._
----- ---
569:±: 7.3
Average daily gain (g)
Nutrients required/ka aa in
0&
6.6±-0.3
(a)
matter (ka)
(b) D CP (g)
(c) TON (kg)
", 'Significant at 5 y. level;
__ .. -
606± 32.]
4.0 ± 0.2
¥• •
..._._--- -- --- ---- 530 ± S.7
S79±26.4
7.2 ± 0.2
634 = 31.7
O± 0.2
siaoificant at I % levt 1.
8.0 ± 0.1
6SS± 15.1
4.1± 0.1
Statistical
sisnificance
-- ----- - NS
••
NS
•
June J98S]
UREA AND BruR ET AS NllROGEN SUPPLEMENTS fOR BUFFALOES
Nitrogm brdances
Suftlciently high levels of grains (maize)
aod fodder (grecn maize) supplied soluble
carbOhydrates to buffalo'ca lves, and this
provided good combination for the opti·
Organic malter
Dep ression in organic-matte r digesti- mum activity of rum..:n micro-orsaoisms.
bility was signi fica nt (P < 0.05) in the The maximum r~ t c n t ion of n itrogen was
biuret-fed animals (Table 2). This might recorded in the biuret-suppl emented group
be due to adverse effect on th e rumen a nd minimum retention in urca-fl!d group
microbes in general. Barth et ill . ( 1959) (Tablc 3). In the present studies, urinary
reponed depression io the dig..:stibll ily of nitrogen exc retion was 10""'cr 111. biuret
organic matter when two-thirds of the gro up than in control and urea-fed group~.
nitrogen of the die t w a~ replaced by urea Thus it seems that the buffalo heifers
or biuret. In en rlier studies in this utilized the nitrogen of the diet to the
laboratory such a depression was not optimum irrespec1ive of the source.
observed (Mu dgaJ and Lal, 1980).
Feed COl/versioll efficil'1lC)'atid groll'tiJ rOle'
The a mount of dry matte r required
Crude protein
In the biuret group t he cr udt:-p rotein for I kg of live-weight gain was maximum
digestibility was lesser than in the urca in hiurei-fcd group, fol1owed by those in
and control groups, but the decrease was urea·fed and conirol groups (Table 4).
not statistically significant (Table 2). The lower dry-matter requirements per
Chicco et al_ (1971) reported that addition kg Ihe·weight gain in t he present sludy
of urea or biUJet to the basa l ration im- may be due to higher nutritive value of
proved the crude-protein digestibility, but the ration ''''hich in turn was utilized more
the differences among the treatments did effiCiently resuitillg in higher body gains.
The weight gain of buITalo heifers was
not reach the statistical signiHcance. The
present finding!> a te al w in line with that higher in the urea-fe d group followed by
ofOltjen et al. (1969) who reported that those in control a nd biuret groups. Howurea promoted higher CP digestibility than ever, the diffe rences were not significant.
biuret. Similar trend between urea and
biuret rations was noticed by Singhal and Plasma studies
Mudgal (198J).
No significa nt difference was observed
in plasma protei ns amongst the 3 treatmc nlS (Table 5). However, a highly
Crude fibre
The variation in the average values of significant (P < 0.01) difference existed
crude-fibre digestibility coeffic ient was a mongst the treatments for plasma urea·
significant (P < 0.05). The biuret-fed N. There was no difference between the
group exhibited lower crude-fibre dige- urea and biuret groups, buc both the
stibility than the control and urea-fed groups differcd significantly from the
groups. Mudgal and Lal (1980) reported. control group. However, no di fference
that the addition of biuret stimulated the was observed between urea and biuret
consumption and digestion of fibre in groups but both the NPN·s upplemented
buffaloes, and that the effect of biuret gro up~ had signi ficantly higher (p < 0.01)
supplementation was more pronounced plasma NPN values than the control group.
As the level of urea increased in the
after '-week adaptat ioJo. All the treat·
meats exhibited higher crude-fibre d ige· rat ion, thc N PN level of serum increased
stibility in spite of significa nt (p < ' 0.05) significantJy in tltperimcols by Lassiter
differences amongst the 3 treatments, ct af. (1958) and Brown el af. (1960). Our
which could be due to the feeding of observations followed the simil ar pattcrn.
succulent green maize as the sole source
of roughage in the present investigation Body composiriofl
(Table 2).
The tritiated water space (TOH),
bility became more efficient wj :!J the
passage of time on biuret-supplemented
ration .
441
REDDY AND MUDGAL
[Yol, 55, No.6
body composition , biological half-life of
the tritium aDd the water turnover rate
are presented in Tables 6 and 7.
~f'!r;'"'!f'i l
00000
-+t +I +t ..+I ..j.(
I
•
I
:~~~~
I
........... !'l_ 1
_"'~I'I~ I
OOQ'co :
-if +I -l -H +I !
q "'! "'! Co!! \C!
I
=";:;~:! I
"!q='l~,,,::
i
_ ..... 0 0 0 1
+-+1 ; +I +I[
"! '" ~ "l o. I
~. ~~;:;~ ,
,
8e
!
::::'.
-zp.,
Z
"l'""!\C!"!C"! 1
1j :;i:;i
:jj :jj :;i
CI
1:;:3;:;:2: 1
'" ......
_0'4
«
'Of" ..,
1"1('1'"
i
"";N_l'i"': 1
.ff"' -H -H+l !
"! OC! ""! "l "": I
o ......... r-- ... ,
"1 ....... 1"10:-1
••
TOH
Chandrasekhar et al. (1980). working
on buffa\ o-calvc!>. reported 71.70 :r: 1.80
TOH on per cent live-weight basis. However, the values in [he present studies were
slightly higher. The results were also
sill1iiar to that of Verma et al. (1980)
(Table 6). !No significant difference was
observed to be due to feeding of biuret or
urea by us.
Body composition
Andrews and ~rskov (1978) were of
the opinion that the plane of nutrition
had little effect on the body composition
of Jambs slaughtered at the same live
weight. A s the information with respect
to the body composition in buffaloes was
scanty. the present results can be explained on similar lines as reported by the
above authors. Mudgal and Sengar
(1980) ruso did not observe the effect of
protected and unprotected protein feeding
on TOH space. However, these worken
observed better growth in formaldehydetreated protein-fed groups.
Kumar er al. (1980) reported significant
difference (P < 0.05) in water conteot
under different planes of nutrition in
buffalo-calves. They furtberreported tbat
the protein content remained unchanged,
whereas fat content was significantly
(P < 0.05) affected by different levels of
energy and protein intake. The values
obtained for body composition by the
above workers were more or 1~ similar
to the observations recorded in the present
study. Slight variation observed in tbe
values of the present study in comparison
to the results of the above authors might
be due t o the age factor, as the present
investigation was carried out on buffalocalves when they were in their later stage
of growth.
Our results indicated that though the
buffalo-calves coosumed more dry matter
wheo diet was supplemented with biurtt
tban with urea and control diets, the feedconversion efficiency was minimum for
448
June 1985]
UREA AND BIURET AS NITROGEN SUPPLEMENTS FOR BUFFALOES
Table 6, TOH !pace, biolQiical half-life of H' aDd Woller
,
Treatment
Total
TOR
space
Control
224.2
U~.
231.8
Biuret
250.1
TOR
space'
<%of
body
w')
lumo\'~r
Total
Biological
body
·water
(kg)
half-life
(M)
207,9
214.9
231.8
73.2
74.3
73.5
-- ---
rale in buffalo heifers
103
104
10 J
- ---
24M
turnover
rn'<
(mllkg)
Hourly
turnover
mt<
(mljkg)
\ 8S.4
85,7
85.7
. ~- - ~-~
l.S
3..
J .•
---- -
Table 7. Body composition of buffalo heifers
Treatment
Bodywt
(kg)
Control
U,.,.
Biuret
Body composit!on ( %)
-Water
- ----- --Pro-tein- -_._-_._FOf-- - - ---A.b
....
l06
67.9
l12
68,2 .
J40
I'
13.1
12.0
12.7
J.'
,.
4 ••
water technique, Journal 0/ Nucleur Atrlculture and Biology 9 : 14-15.
Chicco. C. F., Schultz, T. A" Gamcrali, A. A.,
Oropeza, A. and Ammerman, C. B. 1971.
Biuret and urea supplements for bovines fed
&reen chopped cJeptu&nt grass. Journal of
of body composition in buffalo heifers.
; AnitnQl Science 3J : 133-36,
'K\unar,
N.,
Singh,
U,
E,
and
Verma,
D,
N.
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e.
,
15.2
1.5.3
15.2
..,
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4,0

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