Utilization of fat by baby pigs.

Abstract

Three experiments were conducted with pigs from the age of 3 weeks to 5 weeks to compare the utilization of fat calories vs carbohydrate calories using either soy flour or non-fat milk solids as sources of dietary protein. Pigs were fed six different diets that contained 12% to 74% of the non-protein calories as fat (corn oil and peanut oil). Pigs fed soy flour diets that contained 12, 25 and 43% of the non-protein calories as fat averaged 375, 410 and 403 g gain/day, respectively, and pigs fed non-fat milk solids diets containing 43, 58 and 74% of the non-protein calories as fat averaged 374, 349 and 368 g gain/day, respectively. These data show that the young piglet can utilize high levels of fat to the same extent as glucose and lactose calories.