The carob tree (Ceratonia siliqua) is an evergreen native to the Mediterranean area. Its fruit, technically a legume, consists of leathery brown pods that contain hard brown seeds in a sweet pulp. The pods can be crushed, with or without the seeds, to produce a meal that is fed to animals. Because carob pod meal contains 40-45% sugars, it promotes feed intake and adds energy to the diet. Carob pods also contain tannins. As inclusion rates of carob pod meal increase, the tannins can inhibit nutrient digestibility, which limits carob inclusion in swine diets. However, at lower inclusion rates, carob pod meal can reduce the incidence of diarrhea in weanling pigs due to the tannins' effect on the intestinal mucosa.

Caromic 105 is a deseeded, toasted, micronized carob pod meal product. An experiment was conducted to determine the effect of Caromic 105 on growth performance of weanling pigs.

A total of 150 weanling pigs with an average initial body weight of 6.49 kg were used in the experiment. Pigs were fed on a two-phase program, with days 0 to 14 comprising phase 1 and days 14 to 28 comprising phase 2. Within each phase, three diets were used. The control diet was based on corn, soybean meal, fish meal, and lactose. In the experimental diets, 3% or 5% Caromic 105 was added at the expense of lactose. Individual pig body weights were recorded at the beginning of the experiment and at the ends of phases 1 and 2. Daily feed allotments and feed left in the feeders were also recorded to calculate the average daily feed intake and gain:feed ratio for phase 1, phase 2, and the entire experimental period.

There was no difference in body weight at day 14 or day 28 between pigs fed the control diet, 3% Caromic 105, or 5% Caromic 105. Pigs had the same average daily feed intake regardless of diet. The average daily gain and gain:feed ratios were the same for days 0-14, days 14-28, and days 0-28 for pigs fed the control diet, 3% Caromic 105, or 5% Caromic 105 diets.

• Caromic 105 can replace lactose in diets fed to weanling pigs at inclusion rates of up to 5% with no negative effects on growth performance.
• The fact that substituting Caromic 105 for an equal amount of lactose did not affect the gain:feed ratio indicates that the metabolizable energy content of Caromic 105 is similar to that of lactose.

Table 1. Growth performance of weanling pigs fed diets supplemented with Caromic 105

This report is based on unpublished data by Yanhong Liu and Hans H. Stein.