February 16, 2011

 

US study suggests using fermented soymeal in piglet diets

 

 

US researchers have suggested that weaning pigs should have a diet of fermented soymeal and enzyme-treated soymeal instead of fish meal, because of inflated prices.

 

"The price of fish meal has exploded and is causing producers to search for new options for weanling pig diets. Pigs are traditionally fed diets containing relatively large amounts of animal proteins such as fish meal from weaning up to 18 kg when they can digest traditional soymeal," said Hans H. Stein of the University of Illinois.

 

The fermentation and enzyme treatment process helps remove some of the anti-nutritional factors found in traditional soymeal and other compounds that are not easily digested by young pigs.

 

Stein said these new sources of soymeal might be the answer producers are looking for to keep costs down without sacrificing digestibility of important amino acids.

 

The study measured the digestibility of amino acids in these two new sources of soymeal in comparison to fish meal, casein and soy protein isolate.

 

"We observed that enzyme-treated soymeal has even better digestibility of amino acids than conventional soymeal. It appears the enzyme treatment increases digestibility," Stein claimed.

 

"Fermented soymeal has the same digestibility as standard soymeal, so we now know that fermentation doesn't reduce digestibility," he said.

 

"With the high cost of fish meal and concerns about its future availability, I believe these are two good options for weanling pig diets. They are comparable in digestibility to soy protein isolate, the gold standard protein source that is only used in human nutrition," added Stein.

 

"They are comparable in digestibility to soy protein isolate, the gold standard protein source that is only used in human nutrition," said Stein.

 

In the future, Stein and his team will conduct more research on fermented soymeal and enzyme-treated soymeal to look at the digestibility of energy and phosphorus. They also plan to conduct performance studies so they can fine-tune inclusion rates.

 

"Ileal digestibility of amino acids in conventional, fermented, and enzyme-treated soymeal and in soy protein isolate, fish meal and casein fed to weanling pigs," said researchers at the University of Illinois, S.K. Cervantes-Pahm and H.H. Stein.