The net energy value of crude fat for growth in pigs

Abstract

An experiment with 36 growing pigs of Danish Landrace was performed to study the influence of crude (animal) fat on the digestibility of crude fat and on the efficiency of utilization of metabolizable energy. The pigs (females from 3 litters and male castrates from 3 litters) were distributed on six dietary treatments on a within-litter basis, taking into account the live weight of the pigs. The daily intake of the different diets was regulated in such a way that the daily gain in the different treatment groups was almost identical throughout the entire experimental period from 20–90 kg. Three digestibility and balance experiments were performed with each pig, and at approximately 90 kg live weight the pigs were killed, dissected, ground, mixed and chemically analysed. The digestibility of crude fat increased with increasing concentration of dietary fat and the efficiency of utilization of metabolizable energy was increased by 5.0 kJ g −1 digestible crude fat. Digestibility experiments with ileo-caecal cannulated pigs showed that the proportion of the digested crude fat and fatty acids disappearing in the caecum—colon decreased with increasing concentration of dietary crude fat, which results in a positive contribution of digestible crude fat to net energy besides its contribution to metabolizable energy.