Two experiments were conducted to determine the chemical composition, energy and the digestibility coefficients of the amino acids of the whole rice meal (WRM) and broken rice (BR). In the first trial, one hundred forty four broilers, 21 days of age, male, of Cobb strain had their excreta totally collected in order to determine the apparent metabolizable energy (AME) and corrected apparent metabolizable energy (AMEn). The experimental design was completely randomized, with three treatments and six replicates with eight birds each one. In the second trial, it was used the forced feeding method with cecectomized cockerels to determine the digestibility coefficients of the amino acids. The design was entirely randomized, with two feeds and one fasting and six replicates with one bird each one. The values of DM, CP, EE, CF, AME and AMEn were, respectively, to WRM: 88.6%; 11.8%; 15.3%; 10.2%; 2968kcal kg-1 and 2804kcal kg-1 and to BR: 93.5%; 9.1%; 0.73%; 0.45%; 3338kcal kg-1 and 3239kcal kg-1. The average values of digestibility coefficients of essential and non-essential amino acids were, respectively, 75.9% and 73.9% to WRM and 77.9% and 76.5% to BR. The WRM and the BR can be used in the diets of broilers in substitution to the corn, however showed lower metabolizable energy levels, had higher levels of crude protein and digestible amino acid.
broken rice; cecectomized cockerels; digestibility coefficients; whole rice meal
