This study examined the effects of young growth factor (YGF251) on the growth performance, nutrient digestibility, meat quality, and fecal gas emission of finishing pigs. A total of 80 119-day-old crossbred finishing pigs [(Yorkshire × Landrace) × Duroc], with an average initial body weight (BW) of 65.53 ± 3.89 kg, were used in a 61-day experiment with a completely randomized block design. The pigs were fed with either a basal control diet (CON) or a basal diet supplemented with 0.04% YGF251 (YGF). There were 10 replicate pens per treatment, with four pigs (two barrows and two gilts) per pen. In this study, pigs consuming the YGF251-supplemented diet had a higher average daily gain (ADG) and growth rate, as well as a lower feed conversion ratio (FCR), than the pigs consuming the CON diet. Moreover, with regard to meat quality, increased water-holding capacity (WHC) and decreased drip loss on day 7 were observed in pigs consuming the YGF diet. However, nutrient digestibility and fecal gas emission did not differ between the CON and YGF diet groups. In conclusion, the YGF251 diet group showed superior growth performance, WHC, and drip loss.

Two experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects of expanded diets and phase feeding programmes in growing-finishing pigs. In Exp. 1, a total of 72 pigs (25.88 ± 1.34 kg) were randomly allotted to 3 dietary treatments: (1) unexpanded corn-wheat-soybean meal (CWSBM)-based diets with two-phase feeding programme; (2) expanded CWSBM-based diets with two-phase feeding programme; (3) unexpanded CWSBM-based diets with three-phase feeding programme. During 12-14 weeks and 1-14 weeks, pigs offered the expanded diets had lower feed conversion ratio (FCR) compared with those fed unexpanded diets (P < .05). In Exp. 2, 120 growing pigs (20.51 ± 0.62 kg) were randomly assigned to 3 dietary treatments: (1) unexpanded corn-soybean meal (CSBM)-based diets with twophase feeding programme; (2) expanded CSBM-based diets with two-phase feeding programme; (3) unexpanded CSBM-based diets with three-phase feeding programme. During 15-17 weeks, pigs fed expanded diets had increased daily gain and decreased FCR compared with those fed unexpanded diet (P < .05). In conclusion, expanded CWSBM-or CSBM-based diets improved growth performance of growing-finishing pigs. Phase feeding programmes did not affect growth performance, carcass characteristics and meat quality in growing-finishing pigs fed CWSBM-or CSBM-based diets.