Published online by Cambridge University Press: 24 July 2007
1. An immunochemical test for predicting the suitability of different soya-bean products for feeding to preruminant calves was studied. Calves fitted with abomasal and re-entrant ileal cannulas, were first given a series of feeds containing heated soya-bean flour and two with casein as the protein source, and then given further test feeds in which different experimental soya-bean products, prepared under conditions which might be used commercially, provided the nitrogren source. These products (Q, R, S and T) were prepared respectively by extracting fat-free soya-bean flour with aqueous ethanol at 960, 650, 650 and 550 ml/l and at 60, 60, 78 and 78° and then treating the residue with steam for 30 min.
2. After infusion of a test feed into the abmasum measurements were made of transit time through the small intestine, flow-rate of ileal digesta, recovery of polyethylene glycol (a water-soluble marker added to the feed) and net N absorption up to the distal ileum. Glycinin and β-conglycinin, antigenic constituents of soya-bean protein, were determined in saline (9 g sodium chloride/l) extracts of soya-bean products by haemagglutination inhibition assay.
3. After calves had been given a series of four feeds containing heated soya-bean flour, they showed hypersensitivity to the flour by developing disturbances in digesta movement and N uptake. When experiments were made to compare the effects of giving feeds based on casein with those containing products R, S and T it was shown that some differences in transit times and flow-rates of digesta through, and N absorption from, the small intestine occurred. Disturbances were, however, much less than those observed with product Q feeds.
4. Haemaggultination inhibition assay of products Q, R, S and T gave titres (log2 reciprocal of highest dilution of saline extract inhibiting agglutination) of 12, 5, 3 and 2 for glycinin and 13, 3, 3 and 2 for β-conglycinin respectively. After steam treatment only product Q gave measurable titres; 10 and 11 for glycinin and β-conglycinin respectively.
5. It is concluded that the haemagglutination inhibition assay is a suitable in vitro method of indicating whether soya-bean products given in liquid feeds to preruminant calves will cause gastrointestinal allergic reactions. Furthermore, results show that the removal of deleterious factors from soya-bean meal by treating with ethanol, is critically dependent on the proportion of water present in the ethanol and the temperature of the treatment.