PENTOSAN LEVELS IN AUSTRALIAN AND NORTH-AMERICAN FEED WHEATS

Pentosan levels in 19 Australian and 12 North American wheats, predomi nantly of feed grade, were determined. Values were not significantly d ifferent between wheats from the two regions and ranged from 5.4 to 7. 2% in the Australian and from 5.5 to 6.5% in the North American sample s. Apparent metabolizable energy (AME) values for the Australian wheat s, when used in poultry rations, showed a positive correlation with pe ntosan levels, which is counter to current thinking that suggests a ne gative relationship. These results imply that any difference between f eed wheats from the two regions with respect to AME in poultry rations cannot be attributed to pentosan content.