Soybean meal (SBM) is one of the most important protein sources in swine diets. However, SBM has high concentrations of non-digestible oligosaccharides, mainly stachyose, raffinose, and verbascose, which may increase diarrhea incidence and reduce nursery growth performance. Fermex 200 (Purina Animal Nutrition, Shoreview, MN, USA) is a new source of fermented SBM that may serve as an alternative to other protein sources in diets fed to pigs. However, there are at this point no data for effects of Fermex 200 on growth performance and amino acid (AA) digestibility when fed to weanling pigs.

Therefore, 2 experiments were conducted to test the hypothesis that the apparent ileal digestibility (AID) and standardized ileal digestibility (SID) of AA in Fermex 200 are greater than in conventional SBM. The second hypothesis was that Fermex 200 supports growth of weanling pigs as well as other protein sources.

Mesina Von G. R., L. Vanessa Lagos, Rommel C. Sulabo, Carrie L. Walk, and Hans H. Stein. 2019. Effects of microbial phytase on mucin synthesis, gastric protein hydrolysis, and degradation of phytate along the gastrointestinal tract of growing pigs. J. Anim. Sci. 2019.97:756–767. Link to full text.

Yue She, J. Chris Sparks, and Hans H. Stein. 2018. Effects of increasing concentrations of an Escherichia coli phytase on the apparent ileal digestibility of amino acids and the apparent total tract digestibility of energy and nutrients in corn-soybean meal diets fed to growing pigs. J. Anim. Sci. 96:2804–2816.

Link to full text.

Protein and amino acids quality in feed ingredient is most correctly evaluated by determining the standardized ileal digestibility (SID) of crude protein (CP) and amino acids. Experiments to determine the SID of CP and amino acids in feed ingredients often utilize semi-synthetic diets that contain the test ingredient as the sole source of CP and amino acids. Therefore, the CP and amino acid supply from experimental diets do not always meet the requirement for standardized ileal digestible amino acids by pigs and, therefore, pig growth is often limited in these experiments.

Crystalline amino acids are believed to be rapidly absorbed and 100% digestible. Addition of crystalline amino acids to diets during the adaptation or collection phase is, therefore, believed not to influence values for SID of amino acids in the test feed ingredient, but this has not been experimentally verified. Therefore, an experiment was conducted to test the hypothesis that addition of crystalline amino acids to diets during the adaptation or collection periods of digestibility studies will not influence calculated values for SID of CP and amino acids in corn and soybean meal. 

Direct fed microbials (DFM) are defined as live microorganisms that offer a health benefit for the host when administered in appropriate and regular quantities. Bacillus-based DFM are aerobic, spore-forming bacteria that may enhance the host animal’s immune response and improve growth performance in weanling pigs. Bacillus spp. also produce extracellular enzymes that may enhance digestibility and absorption of nutrients.

An experiment was, therefore, conducted to test the hypothesis that two DFM containing Bacillus strains (provided by Chr. Hansen A/S, Horsholm, Denmark) improve the apparent ileal digestibility (AID) of AA, CP, and GE, the apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD) of CP and GE, and hindgut digestibility of CP and GE when fed to growing pigs.

Liu, Y., R. C. Sulabo, T. E. Sauber, and H. H. Stein. 2014. Different corn hybrids fed to growing pigs. II. Concentrations and digestibility of amino acids. J. Anim. Sci 92(E-Suppl. 2):668 (Abstr.) Link to abstract (.pdf)

Stein, H. H. 2011. Energy and nutrient concentration and digestibility in alternative feed ingredients and recommended inclusion rates. In Proceedings of the American Association of Swine Veterinarians 42nd Annual Meeting. Phoenix, AZ. Link to full text (.pdf)

Stein, H. H., A. A. Pahm, and J. A. Roth. 2010. Feeding wheat to pigs. Swine Focus #002. Link to full text (.pdf)

Stewart, L. L., B. G. Kim, B. R. Gramm, R. D. Nimmo, and H. H. Stein. 2010. Effect of virginiamycin on the apparent ileal digestibility of amino acids by growing pigs. J. Anim Sci. 88:1718-1724. Link to full text (.pdf)