Ibagon

Effect of different dietary protein levels on nitrogen retention in weanling, growing, and finishing pigs

Soybean meal (SBM) is the primary plant-protein source in diets for pigs and provides both amino acids (AA) and energy to the diets. Current estimates for net energy in SBM are less than for cereal grains, based on the assumption that there is more nitrogen to be deaminated if ingredients are high in protein because deamination and excretion of nitrogen via the urea cycle are energy-requiring processes, and therefore, reduce energy efficiency. It has been suggested that pigs retain only 45 to 50% of absorbed nitrogen, which corresponds to 40 to 45% of ingested nitrogen. Modern genotypes of pigs, however, have improved the capacity for protein synthesis and may retain more nitrogen than older genotypes, which would result in less AA deamination and, therefore, less energy loss to deaminate AA and excrete nitrogen. Indeed, results of recent research indicate that pigs fed corn-SBM based diets retain more than 60% of ingested nitrogen, indicating that protein retention by modern genotypes of pigs is more efficient than by older genotypes. It is likely that as breeding companies have selected for leaner pigs, they have also selected genotypes that are more efficient in converting dietary protein into body protein. It is, however, not known if the greater nitrogen retention that has been recently reported is experienced by all pigs regardless of body weight (BW) and if it is true for all types of diets regardless of the dietary level of protein. Therefore, the objective of this experiment was to test the hypothesis that nitrogen retention, measured as a percent of nitrogen consumed, is greater than 50% regardless of the dietary protein level and the BW of pigs.

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Impact of soybean meal on nitrogen retention and concentrations of energy in diets fed to growing pigs

Soybean meal (SBM) is often included in cereal-based diets for growing pigs because it provides a well-balanced profile of digestible amino acids (AA), which maximizes growth performance and protein synthesis. However, in recent years, SBM has often been partially replaced by crystalline AA or alternative protein sources such as corn distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS) or corn protein. These co-products are by-products of the ethanol and vegetable oil industries and are commonly used in swine diets due to their availability and lower cost. Although they provide some indispensable AA, they have a less balanced AA profile and greater fiber concentrations than SBM, which may result in reduced AA digestibility, nitrogen retention, and energy utilization in pigs. However, pigs have become leaner and have greater requirements for dietary AA to support protein synthesis. In addition, it is often assumed that replacing SBM with corn and crystalline AA increases the energy of the diet, but recent data indicate that SBM may provide as much or more digestible energy (DE) and metabolizable energy (ME) than previously estimated. Therefore, it is possible that replacing SBM with corn co-products and crystalline AA may result in a reduction of nitrogen and energy utilization and increase nitrogen excretion in manure. Therefore, the objective of this work was to test the hypothesis that feeding intact protein from SBM to growing pigs, instead of combinations of SBM with crystalline AA or co-products such as DDGS or corn protein, results in greater nitrogen retention and greater DE in the diet without affecting ME.

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Effects of using soybean meal, canola meal, and corn distillers dried grains with solubles on net energy, greenhouse gas emission, and nitrogen balance in group-housed pigs

Ibagon, Jimena A., Su A Lee, Hans H. Stein. 2025. Effects of using soybean meal, canola meal, and corn distillers dried grains with solubles on net energy, greenhouse gas emission, and nitrogen balance in group-housed pigs. Journal of Animal Science, Volume 103, Issue Supplement_1, May 2025, Pages 49–50, doi.org/10.1093/jas/skaf102.054 Link to abstract.

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The soybean oil equivalency of soybean meal indicates a high energy value of soybean meal when fed to growing pigs

Ibagon, Jimena A., Hans H. Stein, and Su A. Lee. 2025. The soybean oil equivalency of soybean meal indicates a high energy value of soybean meal when fed to growing pigs. Can. J. Anim. Sci. 105: 1–7 (2025) | dx.doi.org/10.1139/cjas-2025-0002 Link to full text.

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Effect of soy isoflavones and extra nitrogen on growth performance in low-protein diets fed to growing pigs

Soybean meal (SBM) is the primary source of amino acids (AA) and energy in diets for swine throughout the world. However, less SBM is often used in diets to decrease nitrogen excretion and environmental pollution. Nonetheless, it is demonstrated that lowering dietary protein does not consistently deliver the same performance of pigs as of pigs fed high protein diets, even though all indispensable AA meet the requirements of pigs. It is possible that soybean-derived bioactive compounds (i.e., soy isoflavones and saponins) in SBM act as immunomodulators, which improve the performance of pigs. It is also possible that low-protein diets contain nitrogen below the requirements for pigs to maximize growth. However, no data are available to prove this hypothesis. Therefore, the objective of this experiment was to test the hypothesis that reducing the dietary protein by decreasing the SBM and increasing crystalline AA in diets may have influence growth performance, carcass composition, and meat quality and that soy isoflavones act as immunomodulators, which may improve the immune system and thus results in better performance of pigs fed low-protein diets.

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Can soy isoflavones, extra nitrogen improve the immune system in growing pigs?

Ibagon, J. A., S. A Lee, and H. H. Stein. 2025. Can soy isoflavones, extra nitrogen improve the immune system in growing pigs? National Hog Farmer. On-line edition. Jan. 30, 2025. Link to full text.

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Effect of soy isoflavones and nitrogen-source on nitrogen balance in low-protein diets fed to growing pigs

Soybean meal (SBM) is the primary source of amino acids (AA) and energy in diets for swine throughout the world. However, less SBM is often used in diets to decrease nitrogen (N) excretion and environmental pollution. Nonetheless, it is demonstrated that lowering dietary protein does not consistently deliver the same performance of pigs as of pigs fed high protein diets, even though all indispensable AA meet the requirements of pigs. It is possible that soybean-derived bioactive compounds (i.e., soy isoflavones and saponins) in SBM act as immunomodulators, which improve the performance of pigs. It is also possible that low-protein diets contain N below the requirements for pigs to maximize growth. However, no data are available to prove this hypothesis. Therefore, the objective of this experiment was to test the hypothesis that N balance of pigs is not affected by reducing dietary protein if soy isoflavones or N source are supplemented in diets.

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Empirical validation of implementing high energy in soybean meal: soybean oil equivalence of soybean meal in diets fed to growing pigs

Ibagon, J. A., S. A. Lee, and H. H. Stein. 2024. Empirical validation of implementing high energy in soybean meal: soybean oil equivalence of soybean meal in diets fed to growing pigs. In: 75th Annual Meeting of the EAAP, Florence, Italy, Sep. 1-5, 2024.

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Soybean meal or crystalline amino acids in diets for growing pigs: Impact on diet net energy, pig growth performance, and nitrogen retention

Stein, Hans H. Jimena A. Ibagon, Minoy Cristobal. 2024. Soybean meal or crystalline amino acids in diets for growing pigs: Impact on diet net energy, pig growth performance, and nitrogen retention. Proc. 23nd Annual Midwest Swine Nutrition Conf. Danville, IN, Sep. 5, 2024. Pages 45-51.

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Reduction of particle size of field peas increases net energy and digestibility of starch when fed to growing pigs

Ibagon, Jimena A., Su A Lee, Hans H. Stein, Martin Nyachoti. 2024. Reduction of particle size of field peas increases net energy and digestibility of starch when fed to growing pigs. J. Anim. Sci Vol. 102, Suppl. S2. P 97 - 98. doi.org/10.1093/jas/skae102.109 Link to abstract.

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Influence of particle size and origin of field peas on apparent ileal digestibility of starch and amino acids and standardized ileal digestibility of amino acids when fed to growing pigs

Ibagon, Jimena A., Su A. Lee, C. Martin Nyachoti, and Hans H. Stein. 2024. Influence of particle size and origin of field peas on apparent ileal digestibility of starch and amino acids and standardized ileal digestibility of amino acids when fed to growing pigs. Translational Animal Science, 2024, 8, txae008. doi.org/10.1093/tas/txae008.

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Effect of Microbial Phytase on Digestibility of Phosphorus in Seven Sources of Sunflower co-Products Fed to Growing Pigs

Ibagon, Jimena A., Hans H. Stein, Charmaine D. Espinosa. 2023. Effect of Microbial Phytase on Digestibility of Phosphorus in Seven Sources of Sunflower co-Products Fed to Growing Pigs. J. Anim. Sci. Volume 101, Issue Supplement 2, Pages 303–304, doi.org/10.1093/jas/skad341.345. Link to abstract.

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Effects of Different Sources and Particle Sizes of Field Peas on Ileal Digestibility of Amino Acids and Starch by Growing Pigs

Ibagon, Jimena A., Su A Lee, Charles Martin Nyachoti, Hans H. Stein. 2023. Effects of Different Sources and Particle Sizes of Field Peas on Ileal Digestibility of Amino Acids and Starch by Growing Pigs. J. Anim. Sci., Volume 101, Issue Supplement 2, November 2023, Pages 187–188, doi.org/10.1093/jas/skad341.206. Link to abstract.

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Concentration of net energy in diets containing three different sources of field peas with different particle sizes fed to group-housed growing pigs

Field peas (Pisum sativum L.) are an annual season grain legume crop and are cultivated in areas that are too cold for the cultivation of soybeans. Market opportunities for field peas have increased in recent years, and the cost of cultivation is less for peas than for soybeans. The concentration of starch in field peas is less, but crude protein and amino acids are greater than in cereal grains. Therefore, in addition to providing amino acids, field peas also provide energy to swine diets, which is important because energy is the most expensive component in diets. As a consequence, it is important to determine the energy value of field peas. Agronomic practices, growing location, and differences among varieties may impact the nutritional properties of field peas, including energy digestibility. It was also observed that in-vitro energy digestibility of field peas was increased by reducing the particle size. However, there is no information on the effects of reducing particle size on concentrations of digestible energy (DE), metabolizable energy (ME), or net energy (NE) in field peas fed to group-housed pigs. Likewise, the digestibility of energy in field peas grown in the U.S. has not been compared with the digestibility of energy of field peas grown in Canada. Therefore, the objective of this research was to test the hypothesis that the particle size of field peas and the location where field peas were grown may affect the apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD) of gross energy (GE) and concentration of NE in field peas fed to growing pigs.  

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Metabolizable energy and apparent total tract digestibility of energy and nutrients differ among samples of sunflower meal and sunflower expellers fed to growing pigs

Ibagon, Jimena A., Su A Lee, and Hans H. Stein. 2023. Metabolizable energy and apparent total tract digestibility of energy and nutrients differ among samples of sunflower meal and sunflower expellers fed to growing pigs. Journal of Animal Science, 101, 1–8. doi.org/10.1093/jas/skad117. Link to full text.

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Effect of increasing microbial phytase levels on digestibility of phosphorus in field peas fed to young pigs

The majority of P in most plant feed ingredients is bound to phytate. Pigs, however, do not synthesize adequate endogenous phytate to release the P bound to phytate, which results in low digestibility of P in field peas. Values for ATTD and STTD of P in field peas without and with phytase have been reported, but there are no comparative values for the ATTD and STTD of P in field peas adding different levels of phytase. The objective of this experiment is to determine the effect of increasing levels of phytase on the apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD) and standardized total tract digestibility (STTD) of P in field peas fed to growing pigs.

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Standardized ileal digestibility of amino acids is not affected by reducing particle sizes or different origins of field peas fed to growing pigs

Field peas (Pisum sativum L.) have been cultivated for centuries for human consumption, due to the high nutritional quality of pea protein. However, during the last years, increasing demand for field peas for livestock feeding has developed a market in Canada, Europe, and the U.S. Therefore, as is the case with some feed ingredients, differences in soil, varieties, agronomic practices, and growing method may change the nutritional characteristics of the peas as well as the digestibility of nutrients. Besides that, differences in the particle size of field peas may change the digestibility of nutrients. Therefore, the objective of this experiment was to test the hypothesis that the standardized ileal digestibility (SID) of crude protein (CP) and amino acids (AA) in field peas is affected by the particle size of the field peas and the region where the field peas were grown.

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