ANN 121: Applied Animal Nutrition-I (2+1)

BIURET

• Biuret is produced by heating urea. It is a colourless, crystalline compound with the following formula.

                                              NH₂-Co-NH-Co-NH₂

• It contains 40.8% nitrogen, equivalent to 255% of crude protein. Biuret is utilised by ruminants, but a considerable period of adaptation is required.
• Adaptation is speeded by inoculation with rumen liquor from an adapted rumen. The nitrogen of biuret is not as efficiently utilised as that of urea and it is very much more expensive.
• It has the considerable advantage that it is non-toxic even at levels very much higher than those likely to be found in foods.