Amino Acid Nutrition in Poultry Production

Amino acids form the fundamental building blocks of protein and govern growth, health and production efficiency in poultry. Modern diets seek to balance essential amino acids to meet the bird’s requirements without excess protein, thereby optimising feed conversion and minimising nitrogen excretion. The concept of an ‘ideal protein profile’ underpins formulation, matching dietary ratios of lysine, methionine, threonine and other indispensable amino acids to the bird’s physiological needs at each stage of growth or lay. Advances in synthetic and crystalline amino acids have enabled reductions in crude-protein content without compromising performance, reducing reliance on soybean meal and lowering environmental burden. Amino acid availability influences key metabolic pathways—such as mTOR signalling, deamination and uric acid synthesis—that determine muscle accretion, immune competence and egg formation. Interactions between dietary energy density and amino acid supply further modulate nutrient utilisation, with suboptimal energy leading to increased catabolism of surplus amino acids. Emerging data also indicate that non‐traditional amino acids, once deemed non‐essential, play crucial roles in gut integrity, antioxidant defence and reproductive function. A global challenge is to harmonise nutritional precision with sustainability, tailoring amino acid profiles to breed, climate and production system, and leveraging predictive models to refine feed formulations while safeguarding bird welfare and reducing greenhouse-gas emissions.

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Amino Acid Nutrition in Poultry Production publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in amino acid nutrition in poultry production across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Crude Protein (CP): Total protein present in feed, expressed as a percentage of dry matter.

Apparent Metabolizable Energy (AME): The portion of dietary energy retained after accounting for excreta losses.

Ideal Protein Profile: Dietary amino acid ratio that precisely meets the bird’s requirement for maintenance and production.

Feed Conversion Ratio (FCR): The mass of feed required to produce one unit of bird weight gain or egg mass.

Non-bound Amino Acids: Synthetic crystalline amino acids added to feed to complement natural protein sources.

Nitrogen Excretion: The amount of nitrogen lost in manure, reflecting protein utilisation efficiency and environmental impact.

References

1. Effect of Dietary Crude Protein and Apparent Metabolizable Energy Levels on Growth Performance, Nitrogen Utilization, Serum Parameter, Protein Synthesis, and Amino Acid Metabolism of 1- to 10-Day-Old Male Broilers. International Journal of Molecular Sciences (2024).
2. Artificial Neural Networks for Modeling and Optimizing Egg Cost in Second-Cycle Laying Hens Based on Dietary Intakes of Essential Amino Acids. AgriEngineering (2023).
3. Synthetic and Crystalline Amino Acids: Alternatives to Soybean Meal in Chicken-Meat Production. Animals (2020).
4. Multiple Amino Acid Supplementations to Low-Protein Diets: Effect on Performance, Carcass Yield, Meat Quality and Nitrogen Excretion of Finishing Broilers under Hot Climate Conditions. Animals (2020).