Estimates of basal ileal endogenous losses of amino acids by regression analysis and determination of standardised ileal amino acid digestibilities from casein in newly weaned pigs

An experiment was conducted to determine the effect of feed intake (FI) on endogenous losses and the digestibility of CP and AA by growing pigs. Six growing barrows (initial BW = 70.3 kg) had a T-cannula installed in the distal ileum and were used in a 6 x 6 Latin square design. A soybean meal cornstarch-based diet and a N-free diet were formulated. Chromic oxide (0.25%; as-fed basis) was included in both diets as an inert marker. Each diet was provided at three different levels of FI. Feed intake level 1 was equal to the estimated energy requirement for maintenance of the pigs, whereas levels 2 and 3 were two or three times this amount, respectively. Each experimental period lasted 7 d. The initial 4 d of each period comprised an adaptation period to the experimental diets. On d 5, fecal samples were collected, while ileal digesta were collected during two 10-h periods on d 6 and 7. Between each experimental period, a corn-soybean meal-based diet (16% CP) was fed to all pigs for 7 d. The basal ileal endogenous losses (IAA(end)) of CP and AA were measured for each level of FI from pigs fed the N-free diet. Likewise, the apparent (AID) and standardized (SID) ileal digestibility coefficients for CP and AA in soybean meal were calculated for each level of FI. The total-tract digestibility coefficient of energy in the soybean meal-based diet also was calculated. The AID for CP and all indispensable AA except Lys, Met, and Thr increased (P < or =0.055) as FI increased. The IAA(end) of CP and all AA except Pro decreased linearly (P < 0.05) as FI increased when expressed as g/kg of DMI; however, the total daily IAA(end) increased as FI increased (linear, P < or =0.056) for all AA, except for Phe, Thr, Trp, Val, Cys, Gly, and Ser. The AA composition (% of CP) of endogenous protein was not affected by the level of FI, except for Arg, Thr, Pro, and Ser. As FI increased, the SID decreased linearly (P < 0.04) for CP and all AA, except Arg, Trp, Asp, Pro, and Tyr. The total-tract digestibility of energy was not influenced by the FI level. These results demonstrate that the FI level significantly influenced AID, SID, and IAA(end) for CP and AA. Therefore, pigs used to measure AA digestibility coefficients and IAA(end) should be fed at a level that is close to what is used under commercial conditions.

An experiment was conducted to estimate by simple linear regression the levels of endogenous amino acids in digesta collected from the distal ileum in pigs. Six barrows, average initial BW 35 kg, were fitted with a simple T-cannula at the distal ileum and fed six diets according to a 6 x 6 Latin square design. Six cornstarch-based diets containing six levels of CP from soybean meal (4, 8, 12, 16, 20, and 24% CP, respectively) were formulated. Chromic oxide (.4%) was included as the digestibility marker. Each experimental period consisted of 8 d. Ileal digesta were collected, at 2-h intervals, for a total of 24 h during d 7 and 8. There were linear relationships (P < .001) between dietary contents of apparent ileal digestible and total amino acids, irrespective of the ranges in graded dietary levels of amino acids. Determined with the regression technique, the endogenous levels of the indispensable amino acids (grams/kilogram of DMI) were as follows: arginine, .64; histidine, .23; isoleucine, .46; leucine, .69; lysine, .47; methionine, .13; phenylalanine, .31; threonine, .69; and valine, .54. Differences in the ranges of graded dietary levels of amino acids resulted in large differences in the estimated amounts of endogenous amino acids in ileal digesta. Furthermore, it seems that the levels of endogenous amino acids, as grams/kilogram of DMI, were constant at different dietary levels of amino acids, whereas the contributions of endogenous amino acids, as percentages of their dietary contents, decreased curvilinearly with increasing dietary contents. Therefore, apparent ileal digestibilities of amino acids were quadratically related to their dietary contents until plateau digestibilities were reached, whereas the true ileal digestibilities of amino acids were independent of their respective dietary contents. Furthermore, true ileal amino acid digestibilities should be determined from their corresponding plateau apparent ileal digestibilities. In conclusion, the levels of endogenous amino acids in ileal digesta can be determined reliably from the linear relationships between dietary contents of apparent ileal digestible and total amino acids. An important methodological consideration in the determination of endogenous amino acids by regression analysis is to design an appropriate range of graded dietary levels of amino acids.