A team of Korean researchers evaluated the feeding value of soybean meal (SBM) from three major SBM-producing countries (United States, Brazil, and India). Soybean meal representative of each country was purchased on the open market. The experiment involved a total of 144 barrows with the average body weight of 23.77 (SD = 1.52 kg) were allotted to three dietary treatments with 12 replicate pens per treatment and four pigs per pen. The US SBM used in this trial had greater crude protein and total amino acid levels, greater KOH protein solubility, and less crude fiber than SBM from either Brazil or India. The diets were formulated to be isolysinic and isocaloric.

Chemical Composition of the Three Soybean Meals 

The pigs fed diets containing US SBM had greater (P < 0.05) average daily gains and feed utilization throughout the 18-week feeding period when compared with pigs fed SBM produced in Brazil or India. The DM and N digestibility were greater for US SBM (P < 0.05) than Brazilian and India SBM at 6, 12, and 18 weeks. Pigs were slaughtered at the end of 18 weeks and no differences were observed on meat quality (backfat thickness, LM area, pH, meat color, water holding capacity, and drip loss) among the treatments, except lean percentages were less and backfat thickness was greater in pigs fed Brazilian and Indian SBM compared to the US SBM. The researchers concluded that based on the results of the current experiment, the productivity and feeding value of US SBM seems to be greater than the SBM produced in Brazil and India.