Two experiments were carried out to determine apparent metabolizable energy (AME), by the method of total excreta collection using broilers; and true metabolizable energy (TME) and true amino acid digestibility of sunflower meal (SFM), by the method of forced feeding using cecectomized roosters. In the first experiment, a completely randomized experimental design, with two treatments (reference diet (RD) and RD plus 20% SFM inclusion) with eight replicates of five birds each, was applied. In the second experiment, a completely randomized experimental design, with two treatments (SFM vs. fasting) with seven replicates of one rooster each, was used. Sunflower meal presented 90,0% dry matter, 28.1% crude protein, 4,429kcal/kg crude energy, 22.4% crude fiber, 2.9% ether extract, 0.8% phosphorus, and 0.3% calcium. TME, nitrogen-corrected TME, AME, and nitrogen-corrected AME were: 3,013; 2,200; 2,141; and 1,983 kcal/kg, respectively. Lysine was the essential amino acid that presented the lowest digestibility, and arginine, the highest. It is important to constantly upgrade energy and nutrient values of feedstuffs used in feed formulation to supply poultry nutritional requirements.
broiler chickens; alternative feedstuffs; amino acids; digestibility; metabolizable energy
