Objetivando-se estudar a influência do balanço eletrolítico (BE) e do teor de proteína das dietas na deposição de proteínas colagenosas (PC) e não-colagenosas (PNC) na matriz óssea de frangos de corte, foram utilizados fêmures de frangos provenientes de um ensaio de desempenho. Os frangos foram alimentados, nas fases de 21 e de 22 a 42 dias de idade, com dietas com dois níveis protéicos (20,0 ou 23,0% PB) e oito níveis de BE (0, 50, 100, 150, 200, 250, 300 ou 350 Meq/kg). Adotou-se um delineamento experimental inteiramente ao acaso, em esquema fatorial 8 x 2 (oito níveis de BE e dois níveis de PB), com quatro repetições. O maior valor para deposição de PNC nos ossos aos 21 dias e de PC aos 22 e 42 dias de idade foi obtido com as dietas com BE entre 150 e 200 Meq/kg. O nível protéico afetou a deposição de PC e PNC aos 21 dias. Não houve efeito do BE e dos níveis de PB na deposição de PNC aos 42 dias. O BE influenciou a deposição de proteínas nos ossos de frangos de corte jovens.

A performance assay was conducted to study the effects of dietary electrolyte balance (EB) and crude protein levels on deposition of collagenous protein (CP) and the non collagenous protein (NCP) in the broiler bone matrix femurs. The broilers were fed diets with 20.0 or 23.0% of CP combined with 0, 50, 100, 150, 200, 250, 300, or 350 Meq/kg of EB from 1 to 21 and from 22 to 42 days. The experiment was analysed as a completely randomised design with a factorial arrangement of treatments (eight levels of EB and two levels of PC) and four replications. The higher value of NCP deposition in the bone at 21 days and CP at 22 and 42 days was obtained with diets containing EB values from 150 to 200 Meq/kg. Effect of dietary protein level on CP and NCP at 21 days old was observed. There was no effect of EB and crude protein levels on NCP deposition at 42 days. Effect of EB level on the CP deposition in the femurs of broilers at 42 days old was noticed. The electrolyte balance affected bone protein deposition in young broilers.