Effect of feeding reduced protein, amino acid-supplemented diets on nitrogen and energy balance in grower pigs.

Two experiments were conducted to determine the effect of feeding reduced CP, amino acid (AA)-supplemented diets on the nitrogen (N) and energy (E) balance of grower pigs. In Exp. 1, 24 barrows (22.2 kg BW) were fed corn-soybean meal (C-SBM) diets containing either 16% CP, 12% CP, or 12% CP supplemented with lysine (LYS), tryptophan (TRP), and threonine (THR). After 6 d of adaptation to the diets and feeding frequency, a 5-d N and E balance trial was conducted. Supplementation of the 12% CP diet with LYS, TRP, and THR improved N retention ( P < .01) but failed to improve N retention to the level attained by pigs fed the 16% CP diet (P < .01). Efficiency of N retention was similar between pigs fed the AA-supplemented 12% CP diet and pigs fed the 16% CP diet (P > .10). Energy retention was increased by AA-supplementation of the 12% CP diet ( P < .10) to a level higher than that of pigs fed the 16% CP diet (P < .01). In Exp. 2, 60 barrows (21.7 kg BW) were fed one of the following diets: 16% CP; 12% CP diet supplemented with indispensable AA (IDAA) to simulate the 16% CP diet; 12% CP supplemented with LYS, TRP, THR, and dispensable AA N (DAAN); 12% CP supplemented with LYS, TRP, and THR; or a 12% CP negative control diet. After 6 d of adaptation to the diets and feeding frequency, a 5-d N and E balance trial was conducted. Nitrogen retention was improved (P < .01) by supplementing the 12% CP diet with LYS, TRP, and THR but remained inferior (P < .01) to that obtained when pigs were fed the other three diets. Pigs fed the 12% CP diet with LYS, TRP, THR, and DAAN supplementation retained less N (P < .07) than pigs fed the 16% CP but retained an amount similar (P > .10) to pigs fed the 12% CP diet with IDAA and DAAN supplementation. Pigs fed the 12% CP diet with LYS, TRP, and THR supplementation exhibited the highest efficiency of N retention (P < .01). Pigs fed the 12% CP diet supplemented with LYS, TRP, THR, and DAAN retained more (P < .01) E than pigs fed the 12% CP diet supplemented with IDAA and DAAN and more (P < .07) E than pigs fed either the 12% CP diet supplemented with LYS, TRP, and THR or the unsupplemented 12% CP diet. Pigs fed the 16% CP diet retained more (P < .06) E than pigs fed the 12% CP diet with IDAA and DAAN supplementation. Although the data show that the efficiency of N retention is greatest when LYS, TRP, and THR are supplemented to the 12% CP diet, maximal N retention is achieved only when the 12% CP diets are supplemented with both the deficient AA and a source of N for dispensable AA synthesis.