Methionine - Essential Amino Acid for Poultry

Methionine is an essential amino acid because it is required for protein synthesis and numerous metabolic reactions in poultry that are growing, developing, and reproducing. The methionine content in various ingredients is generally low, and so to meet the animals' methionine requirements, synthetic sources of methionine must be supplemented into their feed. There are several sources of synthetic methionine available in the market, including DL-Methionine, OH-Methionine in liquid and powder form, and L-Methionine. Field experience and controlled trials have compared these sources. As an example, a field study covering more than one million broilers found no statistical difference in weight gain or feed conversion ratio between the methionine sources fed. Relative efficacy depends on how sources are compared (for example, on an equimolar basis), the species and the production conditions, so trial conditions should be checked before applying a result to a specific flock. To learn more about Methionine, visit: