Nutritional value of full-fat green canola seed fed to growing-finishing pigs

Comprehensive overview of the quality of plant- And animal-sourced proteins based on the digestible indispensable amino acid score

Indispensable amino acid (IAA) composition and standardized ileal digestibility (SID) of five animal- and 12 plant-based proteins were used to calculate their respective Digestible Indispensable Amino Score (DIAAS) according to the three age categories defined by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Mean IAA content and mean SID obtained from each protein dataset were subsequently used to simulate optimal nutritional quality of protein mixtures. Datasets revealed considerable variation in DIAAS within the same protein source and among different protein sources. Among the selected protein sources, and based on the 0.5- to 3-year-old reference pattern, pork meat, casein, egg, and potato proteins are classified as excellent quality proteins with an average DIAAS above 100. Whey and soy proteins are classified as high-quality protein with an average DIAAS ≥75. Gelatin, rapeseed, lupin, canola, corn, hemp, fava bean, oat, pea, and rice proteins are classified in the no quality claim category (DIAAS <75). Potato, soy, and pea proteins can complement a broad range of plant proteins, leading to higher DIAAS when supplied in the form of protein mixtures and at specific ratios. Such complementarity highlights the potential to achieve an optimal nutritional efficiency with plant proteins alone.

Growth performance, hemato-biochemical indices, thyroid activity, antioxidant status, and immune response of growing Japanese quail fed diet with full-fat canola seeds

Dietary supplementation of full-fat canola seeds (FFCS) can be part of the global solution to the problem of incessant raise in feed cost. Genetic improvement via plant breeding constantly introduces varieties of canola with higher content of unsaturated fatty acids and lower content of anti-nutritional factors. This experiment was conducted to evaluate the dietary inclusion effect of new mutant of FFCS on growth performance, carcass traits, blood metabolites, thyroid activity, antioxidant status, and immune response of growing Japanese quails. A total of 640 21-day-old quails were used in a completely randomize design with and equally allotted to four experimental groups and eight replicates each. The experimental groups fed diets supplemented with 0, 50, 100, and 150 g FFCS/kg diet from 21 to 49 days of age. All experimental diets were isocaloric and isonitrogenous. The inclusion level of FFCS did not affect body weight and body weight gain at all studied periods, while feed intake was reduced and feed conversion ratio was enhanced linearly under all experimental periods except the duration from 28 to 35 days of age. All carcass traits were not statistically affected with graded levels of FFCS. Hemoglobin, leucocytes, mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH), and MCH concentration values were linearly increased. Serum protein fractions, liver enzymes activities, renal function biomarkers, and triiodothyronine concentration were not affected. However, serum lipid profile was significantly altered, where high-density lipoprotein was linearly increased while triglycerides and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) were linearly (and quadratically for LDL) decreased. Antioxidant and immune statuses were improved; significant increment in glutathione and glutathione peroxidase values and antibody titer against Newcastle disease virus were elevated in groups treated with 10% and 15% FFCS. In conclusion, studied levels of FFCS, however, were not able to promote the growth rate of growing Japanese quails; they were more effective in boosting their antioxidant status and humoral immune response.

Nutrient digestibility of soybean products in grower-finisher pigs1

Solvent extraction of soybean creates soybean meal (SBM), but an array of other soybean products can be created using further processing of SBM or soybean. For accurate inclusion of these products in pig feed, characterization of digestible AA profile and energy value is required. Soybean products from processes such as extrusion (EX) of soybean and thermo-mechanical (TM) treatment, bioconversion using fermentation or enzymes (BC), and ethanol-water extraction (EW) of soybean meal were collected together with SBM. These 9 soybean products were tested in cornstarch-based diets together with an N-free diet for a total of 10 diets. Ten ileal-cannulated barrows (30.4 ± 0.7 kg initial BW) were fed 10 diets at 2.8 times maintenance DE for six 9-d periods with a 6 (periods) × 10 (pigs) Youden square. The control SBM contained 47.0% CP, 1.4% ether extract, and ADF 6.0%. The 9 soybean products contained 35.6% to 66.4% CP, 0.9% to 21.6% ether extract, and 4.4% to 8.0% ADF. The EW soybean products were high in CP (>61%), whereas the 2 EX soybean products were low in CP (<36%) but high in ether extract (≥19%). Chemically available Lys ranged from 92.6% to 100% of total Lys, indicating that minor Lys damage occurred during processing. The apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD) of energy was lower (P < 0.05) for soybean products with greater ether extract and ADF content than SBM, and varied among soybean products. The standardized ileal digestibility (SID) did not differ (P > 0.05) among soybean products for most AA, except for lower SID of Arg, Ile, Leu, Lys, Phe, and Tyr (P < 0.05) for EX2 and BC1 than other soybean products. The DE and predicted NE value did not differ (P > 0.05) among soybean products. The greater SID AA content (P < 0.05) in EW, BC, and TM1 soybean products than SBM was mainly a result of greater total AA content due to removal of other macronutrients. In conclusion, extrusion of soybean creates soybean products with a greater energy value but lower ATTD of energy and lower SID AA content than SBM. Further processing of SBM creates soybean products with greater CP and SID AA content but similar SID of AA than SBM. Thus, new technologies to process SBM or soybean create high-value ingredients to be included in pig diets, especially for young pigs with high nutritional requirements.

Effects of pork differentiation strategies in Canada on pig performance and carcass characteristics

Performance and quality traits were measured in carcasses from combinations of genotype, diet supplement, slaughter weight, and carcass chilling regime. Iberian-crossed pigs had lower live animal performance than Duroc and Lacombe. From 70 to 115 kg, Lacombe pigs grew slightly faster than Duroc. Duroc carcasses had a higher lean percentage, heavier ham and picnic primals, and lighter loins and bellies, compared with Lacombe and Iberian. Heavier carcasses had lower lean yield, except those from Iberian-crossed pigs, and bigger bellies. Meat from Duroc-crossed pigs was lighter in colour and higher in marbling, with intermediate values for fat hardness. Iberian carcasses displayed dark meat with intermediate marbling and the hardest fat. Meat from Lacombe pigs was the leanest although, like in all three breeds, marbling scores were higher in heavier carcasses. Generally, supplementing with canola and flax decreased and blast chilling increased fat hardness values. Dietary canola also seemed to affect meat colour traits, but these effects were not consistent among breeds and slaughter weights. The commercial combination of Duroc breed, control diet, and 115-kg slaughter weight showed a balance in terms of performance, carcass, and quality traits. Other combinations evaluated in this study showed potential to efficiently produce differentiated pork.