The optimum dietary amino acid pattern for growing pigs. 2. Requirements for maintenance and for tissue protein accretion.

Experiments were made to estimate separately the amino acid requirements of growing pigs for maintenance and for protein accretion. The relationship between nitrogen retention and amino acid intake was estimated for each essential amino acid (except histidine) by giving, at rates of N intake of 0.25 and 2.0 g/kg body-weight (W)0.75 per d, diets in which one amino acid was made specifically deficient. From the regression coefficients it was calculated that, for the accretion of 1 g body protein, the dietary amino acid requirements were (mg) threonine 47, valine 53, methionine + cystine 36, methionine 19, isoleucine 43, leucine 78, phenylalanine + tyrosine 84, phenylalanine 41, lysine 68 and tryptophan 12. The daily amino acid requirements for N equilibrium were also estimated. From the relationship between N retention and amino acid intake the daily amino acid requirements for N equilibrium were estimated to be (mg/kg W0.75 per d) threonine 53, valine 20, methionine + cystine 49, methionine 9, isoleucine 16, leucine 23, phenylalanine + tyrosine 37, phenylalanine 18, lysine 36 and tryptophan 11. It was estimated that both for maintenance and for protein accretion tyrosine could provide close to half the total phenylalanine + tyrosine needs. Cystine could supply close to half the total sulphur amino acid needs for protein accretion but 0.8 of the needs for maintenance.