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Growth performance, energy, and nutrient digestibility of nursery pigs fed high-shear dry extruded corn and soymeal

Crome, T. and N. Gabler
2024

Altering the processing method via high-shear dry extrusion of both soybean meal and corn have shown to improve diet energy and digestibility. The objective was to evaluate the effect using high-shear dry extruded corn and mechanically processed soymeal on growth performance, energy, and nutrient digestibility of nursery pigs. A total of 240 newly weaned pigs (5.7 ± 1.3 kg BW) were assigned to 1 of 5 dietary treatments (n = 16 pens per treatment with 3 pigs per pen) in a complete randomized design for three dietary phases over a six-week study duration. Pigs were allowed a 7-d acclimation period where they were fed a common commercial medicated starter pellet diet (d0-7, Phase 1). In phase 2 and 3, experimental diets included: 1) solvent-extracted soybean meal and conventional ground corn (Con), 2) solvent-extracted soybean meal and high-shear dry extruded corn (ECorn), 3) Mechanically processed soymeal and conventional corn (ExSoy), and 4) Mechanically processed soymeal and high-shear dry extruded corn (same ME and Lysine as treatment 1-3) (Comb), and 5) Mechanically processed soymeal and conventional corn (energy floated with same Lys:ME) (Comb+). The phase 2 mash test diets contained 0.40% titanium dioxide as a digestibility marker (d8-21) and phase 3 test diets were fed from d22-42. Pigs were individually weighed on day 0, 7, 21 and 42 and feed disappearance was recorded to calculate ADFI and Gain:Feed within phase 1, 2 and 3, and overall (phase 2 and 3 combined). Data were analyzed using pen as the experimental unit. Compared to the Cont, end BW did not differ in the ECorn and ExSoy treatment, while Comb and Comb+ pigs were 13-17% lighter (26.1, 24.2, 24.0, 22.6 and 21.5 kg, respectively, P=0.004). Overall, the Con fed pigs had 30% higher ADG and 12-21% increase in feed efficiency compared to either Comb or Comb+ treatments (P< 0.001). Overall ADFI did not differ. During phase 3, Con and ECorn fed pigs observed increased ADG and feed efficiency compared to pigs fed either Comb treatment (Both P=0.002, respectively). Compared to Cont, ECorn and Comb+ had higher GE ATTD coefficients, while ExSoy and Comb were lower (82.1, 84.6, 86.9, 78.7 and 79.1%, respectively, P < 0.001). Nitrogen ATTD coefficients were highest in Comb+, followed by ECorn, Cont, ExSoy and Comb (84.4, 78.8, 77.9, 73.0 and 72.3%, respectively, P< 0.001).

In conclusion, substituting conventional corn or solvent-extracted soybean meal with extruded corn or mechanically processed soymeal resulted in equal pig growth performance. Further research is needed to determine the effects on the performance of nursery pigs fed diets including more than one high-shear dry extruded ingredients.