[Palatinit--digestibility and energy utilization in model experiments with sows].

A respiration trial with 12 adult sows was conducted as a balanced incomplete block design to study the effect of Palatinit on energy and nitrogen balance. The treatments were the basal diet fed at maintenance level alone or with the addition of sucrose and Palatinit, respectively. The apparent digestibility of the energy of Palatinit was 91.0%, whereas sucrose was completely digested. The fecal excretion of nitrogen after feeding of Palatinit increased about 50% as compared to the group's basal diet and basal diet plus sucrose. The urine energy excretion and the methane losses amounted to 1% of the ingested energy of Palatinit. The efficiency of utilization of metabolizable energy was 68.9% for Palatinit and 75.3% for sucrose. Altogether, the results show that 62% of the Palatinit energy and 74.5% of the sucrose energy were retained as body energy.