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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 23 November 2017
Production of field peas has been promoted in most areas of the world due to their high level of protein content as a substitute for soybean meal. The majority of the field peas are grown under contract for human consumption. Field peas must meet strict quality guidelines to enter the human market. The peas that are not eligible for human consumption are then available for livestock feed. This feed cannot be used judiciously in feeding ruminants because of their high degradability in the rumen. In highly productive ruminants, peas may not provide adequate amounts of escape protein which will necessitate supplementation of the diet with high escape protein sources. Gamma irradiation of soybean meal resulted in denaturation of proteins, increasing hydrophobicity of the protein surface and decreasing degradation of crude protein (CP) in the rumen (Shawrang et al., 2007). The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of γirradiation on crude protein degradation parameters and, on the fate of true proteins of pea in the rumen.