Concentration of digestible, metabolizable, and net energy and digestibility of energy and nutrients in fermented soybean meal, conventional soybean meal, and fish meal fed to weanling pigs.

Two experiments were conducted to determine the digestibility of energy and nutrients and the concentration of DE, ME, and NE in fermented soybean meal (FSBM), conventional soybean meal (SBM-CV), and fish meal fed to weanling pigs. In Exp. 1, 36 barrows (initial BW: 22.0 ± 3.85 kg) were placed in metabolism cages and allotted to a randomized complete block design with 4 diets and 9 pigs per diet. Feces and urine were collected for 5 d after a 5 d adaptation period. Four diets including a corn-based diet and 3 diets consisting of corn and each of the experimental ingredients (FSBM, SBM-CV, and fish meal) were formulated. Results indicated that the apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD) of GE in corn, FSBM, and SBM-CV was 88.6, 88.2, and 90.3%, respectively, but the ATTD of GE in fish meal (84.0%) was less (P < 0.01) than in the other ingredients. The concentrations of DE, ME, and NE in SBM-CV were 4,553, 4,137, and 2,972 kcal/kg DM. These values were greater (P < 0.01) than the DE, ME, and NE in FSBM (4,296, 3,781, and 2,710 kcal/kg DM), corn (3,951, 3,819, and 2,791 kcal/kg DM), and fish meal (3,827, 3,412, and 2,450 kcal/kg DM). However, FSBM contained more (P < 0.01) DE, ME, and NE than fish meal and more (P < 0.01) DE than corn. The biological value of the protein in fish meal (75.4%) was greater (P < 0.05) than in corn (34.8%) and FSBM (62.8%), and the biological value of protein in SBM-CV (67.1%) was greater (P < 0.05) than in corn but not different from FSBM and fish meal. In Exp. 2, 8 barrows (initial BW: 10.4 ± 0.47 kg) were equipped with a T-cannula in the distal ileum and randomly allotted to a replicated 4 × 4 Latin square design with 4 diets and 4 periods per square. Three diets containing FSBM, SBM-CV, or fish meal as the sole source of AA and a N-free diet were formulated. The standardized ileal digestibility (SID) of all indispensable AA except Lys, Thr, and Trp was greater (P < 0.01) in FSBM than in fish meal. The SID of Met and Val was also greater (P < 0.05) in FSBM than in SBM-CV, but for the remaining indispensable AA, no difference between FSBM and SBM-CV was observed. In conclusion, the concentration of DE, ME, and NE is less in FSBM than in SBM-CV. However, DE, ME, and NE are greater in FSBM than in fish meal, but the SID of most AA is not different between FSBM and SBM-CV although they are greater than in fish meal.