Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
TABLE 10.1
Recommended Nutrient Concentrations in Diets Fed to Nonhuman Primates on a Dry Matter Basis.
Recommended Concentrations are for the Total Diet (Including Enrichment and Training Foods), But do not Take
into Account Possible Storage Losses
d
cont'd
Recommended
Concentration in the Diet
Nutrient
Comments
Vitamin C
200 mg/kg
Enhances iron absorption
Choline
750 mg/kg
Modified from table 11-2 of the 2003 NRC Nutrient Requirements of Nonhuman Primates, 2nd revised edition.
the losses due to digestion, and is calculated be subtracting
fecal energy from GE. Metabolizable energy (ME) is DE
minus the losses due to metabolism, which is usually
estimated as DE minus urinary energy loss. ME represents
the energy in food that is available to the ingesting animal
for metabolism and growth. The GE of a food is a fixed
value; however, DE and ME depend not only on the food
but also on the digestive and metabolic capabilities of the
animal ingesting the food.
Calculating the energy value of food using the physio-
logical ME values of 4 kcal/g for protein, 9 kcal/g for fat,
and 4 kcal/g for carbohydrates allows consistency in
calculations and further enhances the ability to make
comparison between species. It should be noted that this is
a simplistic strategy for ease of diet formulation and diet
interpretation for animal care staff. The actual amount of
ME a species can extract from food may be different.
However, for most nonhuman primates with simple stom-
achs
rate (
Power, 1991
). The Nonhuman Primate 2003 NRC
energy calculations for various species of primates provide
a good starting place for estimating energy needs. The NRC
recommends use of the general equation 140
(body
mass)
0.75
, where body mass is expressed in kilograms, for
estimating maintenance energy requirements of captive
primates. This is basically twice the estimated resting
metabolic rate based on the equation from
Kleiber (1975)
.
It is important to note, however, that the allometric expo-
nent of 0.75 is appropriate for interspecies comparisons but
may not be accurate for intraspecies comparisons. It is
a good estimate of maintenance energy requirement
differences between two species of different body size, but
in primate species with large sexual dimorphism this
calculation may overestimate the difference in maintenance
energy requirement between males and females.
Energy requirements for young, growing animals and
for gestating and especially lactating females will generally
be higher than the estimated maintenance requirement
based on body mass. For example, lactating common
marmosets roughly double food intake compared to their
nonreproductive state (
Nievergelt and Martin, 1998
).
Larger nonhuman primates will likely not increase food
intake to such an extent during lactation, but food intake
will likely be increased.
fed low-to-moderate fiber diets
the values are
a reasonable approximation.
Formulating the diet to meet the calculated energy
needs of the animal while not exceeding the animal's dry
matter intake ability greatly improves food utilization and
the ability of the caretaker to accurately evaluate nutrient
intake and helps maintain animals at appropriate body
weights.
Protein
Protein provides amino acids required for maintenance and
growth and is a source of nitrogen for nonprotein, nitrogen-
containing bioactive molecules. Protein sources in captive
nonhuman primate diets generally are either from high-
quality, purified or semi purified ingredients, such as iso-
lated soy protein or the milk proteins lactalbumin and
casein, or they are from natural ingredients such as grains,
legume meals, other seed products, or animal products such
as egg or fish meal. Some of the protein in plant materials
may be poorly available as it can be bound to refractory
components of the cell wall. Some individuals may react
poorly to certain proteins found in grains.
Maintenance Energy
There is a minimal energy requirement that must be met if
the animal is to maintain its body condition. This require-
ment can be estimated from resting metabolic rate.
Primates do not differ significantly from most other
mammals in the relationship of metabolic rate to body
mass. The actual energy requirement of an individual will
generally be between 1.5 and 3 times the metabolic rate,
depending on housing, social group, enclosure size, life
stage, reproductive status, and animal health. Food intake
studies on adult, nonreproductive callitrichid primates
(marmosets and tamarins) have found that digestible
energy intake is roughly twice the mean resting metabolic
