Editor's Note
The current issue of the newsletter contains the following:
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A current comment on consequences of using high-fiber feed ingredients. -
A research report on amino acid digestibility and energy concentration in a threonine co-product. -
The second podcast in a series on evaluating the nutrient composition of ingredients.
I hope you will find this information useful. To subscribe to the newsletter, please visit http://nutrition.ansci.illinois.edu/newsletter. Please note that you can now follow us on Twitter and Facebook.
Sincerely,
Hans H Stein
Current Comment
Consequences of using high-fiber ingredients in diets fed to pigs
In the April newsletter, opportunities for using high-fiber feed ingredients in diets fed to pigs were discussed and recommended inclusion rates for a number of high-fiber ingredients were provided. It is assumed that if high-fiber ingredients are included in the diets at the recommended inclusion rates, pig growth performance will not be affected. There are, however, other consequences of using high-fiber ingredients that also need to be considered before these ingredients are included in the diets.
Research Report
Because weanling pigs cannot properly digest soybean meal, animal proteins such as fish meal and spray-dried plasma protein are often used in starter diets. However, the cost of these ingredients has become prohibitive for many swine producers, and new sources of digestible protein for weanling pigs are being sought.
Researchers at the Stein Monogastric Nutrition Lab have been studying a co-product of the production of synthetic L-Threonine, which is used as a supplement in low-protein diets. Synthetic L-Threonine is produced by fermenting a carbohydrate substrate using bacteria such as E. coli. Threonine is extracted from the fermentation broth. The leftover biomass and substrate have the potential to be used as a feed source, but little is known about its nutritional value. Two experiments were conducted to measure amino acid digestibility and energy concentration in a threonine co-product that is produced by drying this left-over biomass.
Podcast
May 24: Valuing feed ingredients, part 2: Nutrients in the GI tract
In Part 2 of a presentation on methodology for valuing quality of feed ingredients, Dr. Hans H. Stein discusses digestion, absorption, and excretion of nutrients.