Non-protein nitrogen

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Non-protein nitrogen (or NPN) is a term used in animal nutrition to refer collectively to components such as urea, biuret, and ammonia, which are not proteins but can be converted into proteins by microbes in the ruminant stomach. Due to their lower cost compared to plant and animal proteins, their inclusion in a diet can result in economic gain, but at too high levels cause a depression in growth and possible ammonia toxicity, as microbes convert NPN to ammonia first before using that to make protein.[ citation needed ]

NPN can also be used to artificially raise crude protein values, which are measured based on nitrogen content, as protein is about 16% nitrogen and the only major component of most food that contains nitrogen is protein. The source of NPN is typically a chemical feed additive, or sometimes chicken waste [1] [2] and cattle manure. [3] [4]

See also

Related Research Articles

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In China, the adulteration and contamination of several food and feed ingredients with inexpensive melamine and other compounds, such as cyanuric acid, ammeline and ammelide, are common practice. These adulterants can be used to inflate the apparent protein content of products, so that inexpensive ingredients can pass for more expensive, concentrated proteins. Melamine by itself has not been thought to be very toxic to animals or humans except possibly in very high concentrations, but the combination of melamine and cyanuric acid has been implicated in kidney failure. Reports that cyanuric acid may be an independently and potentially widely used adulterant in China have heightened concerns for both animal and human health.

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Many countries have standardized the labeling of fertilizers to indicate their contents of major nutrients. The most common labeling convention, the NPK or N-P-K label, shows the amounts of the chemical elements nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reactive nitrogen</span>

Reactive nitrogen ("Nr"), also known as fixed nitrogen, refers to all forms of nitrogen present in the environment except for molecular nitrogen. While nitrogen is an essential element for life on Earth, molecular nitrogen is comparatively unreactive, and must be converted to other chemical forms via nitrogen fixation before it can be used for growth. Common Nr species include nitrogen oxides, ammonia, nitrous oxide, as well as the anion nitrate.

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Yeast assimilable nitrogen or YAN is the combination of free amino nitrogen (FAN), ammonia (NH3) and ammonium (NH4+) that is available for a yeast, e.g. the wine yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, to use during fermentation. Outside of the fermentable sugars glucose and fructose, nitrogen is the most important nutrient needed to carry out a successful fermentation that doesn't end prior to the intended point of dryness or sees the development of off-odors and related wine faults. To this extent winemakers will often supplement the available YAN resources with nitrogen additives such as diammonium phosphate (DAP).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Insects as feed</span>

Insects as feed are insect species used as animal feed, either for livestock, including aquaculture, or as pet food.

References

  1. http://jas.fass.org/cgi/reprint/43/1/201.pdf%5B%5D
  2. "Value of Dried Poultry Manure and Urea as Protein Supplements for Sheep Consuming Low Quality Tropical Hay -- Gihad 42 (3): 706 -- Journal of Animal Science". Archived from the original on 2008-10-15. Retrieved 2008-01-15.
  3. "Nutritional and Economic Value of Animal Excreta -- Smith and Wheeler 48 (1): 144 -- Journal of Animal Science". Archived from the original on 2008-09-06. Retrieved 2008-01-15.
  4. http://jas.fass.org/cgi/reprint/57/Supplement_2/221.pdf%5B%5D