Felix Njeri: Rethinking Alternative Protein Ingredients for Starter Broilers | Ep. 175

In this episode of The Poultry Nutrition Blackbelt Podcast, Felix Njeri, PhD candidate in monogastric nutrition at the University of Guelph, explains why fiber can act as a limiting factor in young chickens and why crude protein alone is not enough to describe alternative protein ingredients. He explores how processing methods change nutrient composition and protein accessibility, including heat damage to amino acids, electrostatic separation approaches, in vitro nitrogen solubility, and the role of enzymes in diets with lower protein or higher-fiber ingredients. Listen now on all major platforms!

Click here to read the full research articles:

Further processing of soybean meal using thermomechanical and enzyme-facilitation modified secondary protein structure, in-vitro protein digestion kinetics and nutritive value in broiler chickens

Significance of specialty protein ingredients in feeding programs for broiler chickens on nitrogen utilization and excretion-A meta-analysis

Cold-Pressing Sunflower Meal and Gastric pH Synergistically Improve In Vitro Nitrogen Solubility by Preserving Secondary Protein Structure, Outperforming Soybean Meal, Solvent-Extracted Sunflower Meal, and High-Protein Electrostatically Separated Sunflower

"Two feed ingredients can share similar crude protein levels while digestibility and protein quality remain totally different, so availability testing matters in formulation."

Meet the guest: Felix Njeri is a PhD candidate in monogastric nutrition at the University of Guelph. His research focuses on protein evaluation, feed formulation, and feed enzymes that improve nutrient utilization in poultry and swine, including strategies that reduce nitrogen losses. He holds a Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine and a Master’s in animal nutrition and feed science from the University of Nairobi. Learn more from Felix Njeri on The Poultry Nutrition Blackbelt Podcast, available on all major platforms.

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What you'll learn:

• (00:00) Highlight
• (01:12) Introduction
• (02:19) Fiber limitations
• (03:13) Feed intake capacity and nutrient demand
• (04:02) Processing effects
• (05:57) Protein quality and digestibility
• (08:26) Enzyme supplementation
• (09:52) Closing thoughts

The Poultry Nutrition Blackbelt Podcast is trusted and supported by innovative companies like:

* Kemin

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- Poultry Science Association

- Anitox

- DietForge

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