January 29, 2007

Threonine to replace growth promoters
 

Amino acids like threonine and lysine could compensate the lack of growth promoters in pig feed.

According to studies by the Dutch Institute Schothorst Feed Research, pigs need more threonines in the absence of growth promoters.

When the animals are still being fed growth promoters, however, adding lysine or threonine does not appear to work.

Pigs having a threonine-lysine percentage of about 65-70 percent in the feed were found to be performing as well as when being fed meals containing growth promoters.

Demand for threonine has gone up over the years, particularly in Asia and North America.