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Nutrition Q.
What is the ‘limiting amino acid’ most commonly found in soybean-based cattle feeds?
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2 Replies
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Methionine is generally considered the first limiting amino acid in soybean-based feeds for cattle. While soybean meal (SBM) is high in protein and lysine, it is deficient in sulfur-containing amino acids (methionine and cystine).
First Limiting Amino Acid: Methionine (Met) is frequently identified as the primary limiting amino acid for growing cattle and steers.
Second/Third Limiting: Lysine (Lys) is often considered the second limiting amino acid, particularly in corn-soybean meal diets.
Context Dependency: In specific scenarios, such as 7- to 9-month-old heifers fed a corn-soybean meal-based total mixed ration (TMR), research has indicated a limiting sequence of Lysine > Methionine > Threonine.
Ruminant Considerations: For cattle, the “limiting amino acid” often refers to the amino acids that reach the small intestine in insufficient amounts (metabolizable protein) after microbial degradation in the rumen.
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