Abstract

LOPEZ, Nelly; CHICCO, Claudio F  and  GODOY, Susmira. NUTRITIVE VALUE OF BRAN AND DEFATTED CORN GERM MEAL IN SWINE FEEDING. Zootecnia Trop. [online]. 2003, vol.21, n.3, pp.219-236. ISSN 0798-7269.

SUMMARY To evaluate bran and defatted corn germ meal (SAGMD), 400 growing pigs (F1 Landrace/Duroc x York/Landrace), with an average weight of 30 kg, were randomly assigned, four groups of 20 animals each, to five levels of corn replacement (0, 10, 20, 30, 40%) by SAGMD in the diets. These were corn-soybean type mash, with 3,270 Kcal/kg estimated metabolizable energy (EME) for the 0% corn replacement level, being isoproteic (15% CP), and had similar levels of lysine, methionine, calcium and available phosphorus. The diets were offered at libitum for a 6 week period. To determine the digestibility of SAGMD, 15 pigs (Landrace/DurocxYork/Landrace) were assigned, in groups of five animals each, to diets with 0, 20 and 40% of corn replacement by the byproduct. The animals were kept in metabolic crates during 14 days, 7 for adaptation and 7 for collection. In addition using corn and SAGMD as the only ingredients of the diet, digestibility of nutrients and EME were determined by total fecal collection. EME was estimated from digestible energy (DE) values, using a prediction equation. Independently of dietary treatments, average daily body gain and feed conversion were 600 g and 1.76 kg, respectively, without differences among treatments. Feed efficiency increased from 2.78 to 3.16, being the regression equation significant (P<0.05). It was concluded that SAGMD may replace corn to a level of 40% in swine diets, without adverse effects on body weight gain. The overall nutrient digestibility decreased (P<0.05) with the 40% replacement of corn by SAGMD. Values of DE and EME, by the direct method, were 2,528 and 2,477 Kcal/kg, respectively.

Keywords : corn byproducts; swine,; feed conversion,; digestibility; metabolizable energy.