Four experiments were conducted to determine the effects of dietary supplementation of corn distillers dried grain with solubles (DDGS) diets with mannanase on performance, apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD) of energy and nutrients, blood metabolites, and carcass characteristics of grower-finisher pigs. In Exp. 1, 96 grower pigs (initial BW, 57.6 kg), 6 pigs per pen and 4 pens per treatment, were fed corn-soybean meal-based diets containing 10% DDGS and 0, 200, 400, or 600 units (U) of mannanase/kg. The ADG and blood glucose increased (linear, P < 0.05) with increasing concentrations of dietary mannanase. Pigs fed diets containing increasing levels of mannanase had improved ATTD of DM and CP (quadratic, P < 0.05). In Exp. 2, 64 finisher pigs (initial BW, 92.7 kg) were allotted to 4 treatment groups with 4 pigs per pen and 4 pens per treatment. Pigs were fed corn-soybean meal-based diets containing 15% DDGS and 0, 200, 400, or 600 U of mannanase/kg. Linear increases (P < 0.05) in ADG, blood glucose, and ATTD of DM, GE, and CP were observed with increasing levels of dietary mannanase supplementation. In Exp. 3, 208 grower pigs (initial BW, 60.5 kg) were allotted to 4 treatment groups with 13 pigs per pen and 4 pens per treatment. Pigs were fed diets containing 0 or 10% DDGS and 0 or 400 U of mannanase/kg in a 2 x 2 factorial arrangement. An increase (P < 0.05) in ADG and blood glucose for pigs fed diets containing mannanase was observed. The ATTD of DM and CP (P < 0.05) was decreased with the inclusion of DDGS, whereas pigs fed the mannanase-supplemented diets had an increased (P < 0.05) ATTD of CP. In Exp. 4, 208 finisher pigs (initial BW, 86.5 kg), with 13 pigs per pen and 4 pens per treatment, were fed diets containing 0 or 15% DDGS and 0 or 400 U of mannanase/kg in a 2 x 2 factorial arrangement. The ADG and blood glucose increased (P < 0.05) when mannanase was included in the diets. The ATTD of DM (P < 0.05), GE (P < 0.10), and CP (P < 0.05) increased by the supplementation with mannanase in the diets of finisher pigs. The carcass characteristics and meat quality were not affected by the DDGS or mannanase inclusion. These results indicated that including 10 and 15% DDGS in conventional swine grower and finisher diets had no detrimental effects on growth performance or carcass characteristics. In addition, supplementation with 400 U of mannanase/kg to diets containing 10 and 15% DDGS fed to grower and finisher pigs may improve growth performance and the ATTD of CP.

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Different dietary cereal sources and fat types in the lactation diet were evaluated to investigate their effects on reproductive performance, milk composition, blood metabolites and hormones in multiparous sows. Twenty-four sows were randomly assigned to one of four treatments according to a 2×2 factorial arrangement of treatments. Each treatment had 6 replicates comprising 1 sow. Two cereal (corn or wheat) and two fat (tallow or soybean oil) sources were used to prepare iso-caloric and iso-nitrogenous diets. Sows fed corn-based diets lost less body weight (p = 0.003) and backfat thickness (p = 0.034), consumed more feed (p = 0.032) and had shorter wean-to-estrus interval (p = 0.016) than sows fed wheat-based diets. Fewer piglets and lower body weight of piglets (p<0.05) at weaning were noted in sows fed wheat-based diets than in sows fed corn-based diets. However, no significant effects (p>0.05) of dietary fat source and its interaction with dietary cereal source on sow body condition and reproductive performance were observed during lactation. Feeding of a corn-based diet improved (p<0.05) sow milk total solid, protein and fat, increased blood urea nitrogen (p = 0.032) and triglyceride (p = 0.018), and decreased blood creatinine (p = 0.011) concentration at weaning when compared with sows fed wheatbased diets. Sows fed corn-based diets had higher concentration of insulin (p = 0.048) and LH (p<0.05) at weaning than sows fed wheatbased diets. The results indicate that feeding corn-based diets to lactating sows improved sow body condition and reproductive performance compared with wheat-based diets regardless of fat sources.

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