Acidulated soapstock, a by-product from the vegetable oil industry has been widely used in poultry nutrition. It is produced by the acid treatment of the residue left after refining vegetable oils. Several concerns exist on the use of this product, such as: adulteration, peroxidation, impurity, and uncertain energetic value. The current experiment focused on the use of the acidulated soapstock in broiler feeds compared with soybean oil. Feeds formulated with 4 and 8% added acidulated soapstock or soybean oil or their mixture in the ratios of 2 : 2 and 4 : 4 % were given to 7 day-old broiler chicks to 42 days of age placed in heated batteries. Birds receiving the diets with acidulated soapstock plus soybean oil had lower body weight at the end of the experiment when compared with birds on the treatments exclusively prepared with acidulated soapstock or soybean oil. This response was independent of the level of oil inclusion. Birds on the lower inclusion level consumed more feed, regardless of the oil source and showed poorer feed conversions, but did not show reduction in body weight when compared to the higher level of inclusion. Acidulated soapstock demonstrated an excellent potential as an energy supplement to be used in broiler feeds and had its energetic value determined as 8.114 kcal EMAn/kg DM, 5% below the value determined for soybean oil.
acidulated soapstock; broiler; energy; fat; energy
