Research on protein kinetics – how quickly protein is available to an animal – is gathering pace, producing results which are likely to change our approach to this key nutrient in livestock diets.

Protein kinetics is all about the speed of protein digestion. The faster a protein source is digested and absorbed the faster it becomes available for the animals. Research now shows that faster protein ingredients are also better used for growth and performance than slower ingredients which means less protein is wasted. Knowing the protein kinetics of a protein source will allow nutritionists to formulate diets with a higher protein biological value, optimising animal performance and therefore feed cost, and reducing nitrogen excretion into the environment. Hamlet Protein produces the fastest vegetal protein.

This new knowledge is the beginning of better understanding the fate of proteins from different sources within the animal and therefore the effect on performance.

Hamlet Protein nutritionists have been focusing on the protein kinetics concept in recent times and are making promising discoveries in terms of feed efficiency, protein deposition and biological value in animals.

Choosing the best protein source for young animals is critical to farm profits. But, in a market full of protein products that claim to optimize growth and improve feed efficiency, it can be hard to put a finger on why one is a better choice than another. New research has uncovered the missing point of difference. What scientists have found is that the secret of the best protein performance is in the timing. More specifically, it’s about the speed of protein digestibility and absorption.

Knowing the protein kinetics of each protein source will allow nutritionists to formulate diets with a higher protein biological value, optimizing animal performance and therefore feed cost, and reducing nitrogen excretion into the environment. Hamlet Protein has been conducting research during the last 2 years and discovered there are large differences in protein kinetics between protein sources.

If you are working with animals then you know that protein digestibility is important, but did you know that the absorption speed of proteins is essential too? When it comes to feed, proteins that are hydrolyzed and absorbed fast in the intestine pose great benefits for your animals.

The inclusion of ileal digestible amino acids in the poultry ingredient matrices has been, without a doubt, a big step forward in the precision of feed formulation, allowing much more adjustment of least-cost optimization. However, evolution in the precision of feed formulation never stops, and today, it is increasingly important to consider protein digestion kinetics in poultry feed formulation. In this sense, the protein digestion kinetics or just “protein kinetics” is more indicative of feed efficiency and protein deposition and biological value than the extent of ileal digestible amino acids per se. In these times, with the high costs of feed ingredients we are facing, any move towards higher precision and subsequent cost optimization and performance improvement should be seriously considered. But what is protein kinetics?