Lentils

Cleaning wastes of organic lentils considered as non-food-grade lentils has been evaluated as an alternative protein source replacing Soybean meal at 0,5,10 and 15% inclusion level in a Wheat-SBM-based diet. All diets have been prepared maintaining iso-energetic and iso-nitrogenous status. Birds with equal sex ratio were grown in flour pens offering ad libitum feed and water and grown over a period of 35 days in an environmentally controlled house. Growth performances have been measured at day 15 and 35. 80 birds with same number of male and female has been randomly selected and slaughtered at day 38 for the assessment of carcass quality parameters. The main objective of this study has been focused on whether lentils can be used as a substitute protein source of Soybean meal. Considering economic value and feasibility of non-food grade lentils, it can be suggested that lentils might be exchanged up to 15% inclusion level (with an adequate supplementation of Methionine and Lysine) regardless minor negative effect on growth performances and some indistinct significant effects on meat quality parameters. But to establish such findings as a whole further experiments are recommended.