Availability of lysine in meat meal, meat and bone meal and blood meal as determined by the slope-ratio assay with growing pigs, rats and chicks and by chemical techniques

1. The availability of lysine in four meat meals (MMs), four meat and bone meals (MBMs) and two blood meals was determined using the slope-ratio assay with growing pigs, rats and chicks and with two chemical techniques. 2. The availability of lysine (proportion of total) in the eight MMs or MBMs ranged from 0.48 to 0.88 for pigs, from 0.49 to 0.88 for rats and from 0.68 to 0.88 for chicks. There was no apparent relation between the availability estimates for pigs, rats and chicks for the individual meals. 3. For the two blood meals, availability estimates were 1.03 and 1.13 for pigs, 0.81 and 0.80 for rats and 1.07 and 1.02 for chicks. 4. Values for the indirect and direct 1-fluoro-2, 4-dinitrobenzene-‘available’-lysineassays ranged from 0.77 to 0.88 and 0.78 to 0.93 respectively for the eight MMs and MBMs. There appeared to be no relation between these values and the pig estimates.