BRANCHED AMINO ACIDS (BCAA)
Valine, isoleucine, and leucine are the three essentials, as none can be synthesized from the others, and they are components of body proteins. Beyond these functions, they are capable of increasing the protein gain of:
muscle
adipose tissue
liver
The catabolism of branched-chain amino acids occurs in two steps:
--> Amino group removal by branched-chain aminotransferase in muscle
--> Ketoacid oxidation via branched-chain ketoacid dehydrogenase in liver
This last step is irreversible and has a high affinity for the three amino acids, so there is an antagonism between the three amino acids (To read more, visit nutriNews)
In a recent review article from Dr. Kim et al. (2022), they talked about the functional role of BCAA in poultry. They highlighted the effect of the BCAA on the growth, production performance, immunity, and intestinal health of poultry.
That paper indicated that feed ingredients have some variations in the leucine levels compared to other BCAA, which leads to an imbalance in the BCAA ratio. Therefore, when diets reduced in crude protein are formulated by the protein source reduction, there is an increase in the cereals inclusion, which have high levels of leucine.
This could have a negative effect on broilers since it increases the antagonistic effects of leucine on other BCAA, which potentially affects amino acid degradation and muscle accretion.
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On the other hand, a proper ratio of BCAA is required for ideal utilization, otherwise, the BCAA in excess of the limiting AA would be deaminated and used for energy, rather than for protein synthesis.
It was reported
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