Pentosan levels in Australian and North American feed wheats

Abstract

Pentosan levels in 19 Australian and 12 North American wheats, predominantly of feed grade, were determined. Values were not significantly different between wheats from the two regions and ranged from 5.4 to 7.2% in the Australian and from 5.5 to 6.5% in the North American samples. Apparent metabolizable energy (AME) values for the Australian wheats, when used in poultry rations, showed a positive correlation with pentosan levels, which is counter to current thinking that suggests a negative relationship. These results imply that any difference between feed wheats from the two regions with respect to AME in poultry rations cannot be attributed to pentosan content.