The digestibility of CP and AA by growing pigs in coproducts from canola and 00-rapeseed may be influenced by the variety of seeds that was grown and the processing method used to extract the oil from the seeds. Therefore, the objective of this experiment was to determine the apparent ileal digestibility (AID) and the standardized ileal digestibility (SID) of CP and AA in canola meal, 00-rapeseed meal, and 00-rapeseed expellers fed to growing pigs. Canola meal and 00-rapeseed meal are the coproducts produced after the residual oil has been solvent extracted from canola seeds and 00-rapeseeds, respectively, whereas 00-rapeseed expellers is the coproduct from 00-rapeseeds that have been only expeller pressed. Twenty-three barrows (initial BW: 28.8 ± 2.64 kg) that had a T-cannula installed in the distal ileum were allotted to a 9 × 23 Youden square design with 9 periods and 23 dietary treatments. The 23 diets included 7 diets based on the 7 samples of canola meal, 10 diets based on the 10 samples of 00-rapeseed meal, 5 diets based on the 5 samples of 00-rapeseed expellers, and a N-free diet. Each source of canola or rapeseed coproducts was used as the only source of CP and AA in 1 diet. The SID of CP and all AA except Val, Cys, and Glu were not different between canola meal and 00-rapeseed meal, but 00-rapeseed expellers had greater (P < 0.01) SID of CP and all AA except Thr, Trp, and Gly than 00-rapeseed meal, which possibly is due to heat damage in 00-rapeseed meal. For Lys, Met, Thr, and Trp, SID values of 70.6%, 84.5%, 73.0%, and 82.6%, and 71.9%, 84.6%, 72.6%, and 82.6% were obtained in canola meal and rapeseed meal, respectively, whereas values in 00-rapeseed expellers were 74.7%, 87.1%, 74.0%, and 83.4%. The SID for most AA was different (P < 0.05) among the 7 sources of canola meal, among the 10 sources of 00-rapeseed meal, and among the 5 sources of 00-rapeseed expellers. The concentration of standardized ileal digestible indispensable AA in canola and 00-rapeseed coproducts can be predicted from the concentration of the corresponding AA with only a low to moderate correlation (r(2) = 0.206 to 0.655). In conclusion, AA digestibility is not different between canola meal and 00-rapeseed meal, but 00-rapeseed expellers have greater digestibility of most AA than 00-rapeseed meal. Prediction equations may not always adequately estimate the concentration of indispensable AA and standardized ileal digestible indispensable AA in canola and 00-rapeseed coproducts.

The lactic acid bacteria (LAB) Lactobacillus plantarum (strains 22F and 25F) and Pediococcus acidilactici (strain 72N) have appeared promising as replacements for antibiotics in in vitro studies. Microencapsulation, especially by the spray-drying method, has been used to preserve their numbers and characteristics during storage and digestion. This study compared the efficacy of these strains and their microencapsulated form with antibiotic usage on growth performance, faecal microbial counts, and intestinal morphology in nursing-finishing pigs. A total of 240 healthy neonatal pigs were treated on days 0, 3, 6, 9, and 12 after cross-fostering. Sterile peptone water was delivered orally to the control and antibiotic groups. Spray-dried Lactobacillus plantarum strain 22F stored for 6-months was administered to piglets in the spraydry group. Three ml of each the three fresh strains (109 CFU/mL) were orally administered to piglets in each group. All pigs received the basal diets, but these were supplemented with routine antibiotic for the antibiotic group. Pigs in all the probiotic supplemented groups exhibited a better average daily gain and feed conversion ratio than those of the controls in the nursery and grower phases. Probiotic supplementation increased viable lactobacilli and decreased enterobacterial counts. Antibiotic additives reduced both enterobacterial and lactobacilli counts. Villous height and villous height:crypt depth ratio were greater in probiotic and antibiotic supplemented pigs comparing to the controls, especially in the jejunum. The results demonstrated the feasibility of using these strains as a substitute for antibiotics and the practicality of the microencapsulation protocol for use in swine farms.

Two experiments were conducted to determine DE and ME and the apparent ileal digestibility (AID) and the standardized ileal digestibility (SID) of CP and AA in 4 sources of canola meal (high-protein [CM-HP], high-temperature-processed [CM-HT], low-temperature-processed [CM-LT], and conventional [CM-CV] canola meal) and in conventional soybean meal (SBM) fed to growing pigs. In Exp. 1, 48 growing barrows (initial BW: 39.7 ± 1.58 kg) were individually housed in metabolism cages and randomly assigned to 6 treatments in a randomized complete block design with 2 blocks of 24 pigs and 8 replicate pigs per treatment. The 6 diets included a corn-based basal diet and 5 diets that were formulated by mixing corn and 1 of the sources of canola meal (39.0% inclusion) or SBM (28.5% inclusion). Feces and urine were collected for 5 d following a 5-d adaptation period. The DE and ME in each source of canola meal and in SBM were calculated using the difference procedure. The DE and ME in the 4 sources of canola meal were less (P < 0.05) than in corn and SBM (DE: 2,854, 2,680, 2,892, and 2,883 vs. 3,324 and 3,784 kcal/kg, respectively; ME: 2,540, 2,251, 2,681, and 2,637 vs. 3,213 and 3,523 kcal/kg, respectively). No differences in the concentrations of DE and ME were observed among the 4 sources of canola meal. In Exp. 2, 12 growing barrows (initial BW: 34.0 ± 1.41 kg) that had a T-cannula installed in the distal ileum were randomly allotted to a repeated 6 × 6 Latin square design with 6 diets and 6 periods in each square. Five diets that contained 35% SBM or 45% of 1 of the 4 sources of canola meal as the sole source of CP and AA were formulated, and a N-free diet was also used. Each period lasted 7 d and ileal digesta were collected on d 6 and 7 of each period. The AID and SID of CP and all AA in SBM were greater (P < 0.05) than in the 4 sources of canola meal. Compared with CM-CV, CM-HP had greater (P < 0.05) AID of Ile, Lys, Asp, Cys, and Pro and greater (P < 0.05) SID of Lys and Cys. However, no differences between CM-HT and CM-LT were observed. In conclusion, regardless of the concentration of CP and the processing used, canola meal provides less DE and ME to pigs than corn and SBM, and the SID of AA in canola meal is less than in SBM. The processing temperature used in this experiment did not affect DE and ME or SID of AA in canola meal. The SID of Lys and Cys was greater in CM-HP than in CM-CV.

There are limited data on the DE and ME values and the digestibility of fiber in canola meal, rapeseed meal, and rapeseed expellers fed to pigs. This experiment was conducted to measure the apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD) of energy, ADF, and NDF and to calculate DE and ME values in canola meal, 00-rapeseed meal, and 00-rapeseed expellers fed to growing pigs. Twenty-three barrows (initial BW: 27.7 ± 2.92 kg) were allotted to an 8 × 23 Youden square design with 8 periods and 23 animals. Twenty-three diets were prepared: a corn basal diet and 22 diets based on corn and 1 of 22 test ingredients. The test ingredients were 6 canola meals from solvent-extraction crushing plants in North America, eleven 00-rapeseed meals from solvent-extraction crushing plants in Europe, and five 00-rapeseed expellers from mechanical-press crushing plants in Europe. Pigs were placed in metabolism cages that allowed for the total, but separate, collection of feces and urine. The DE and ME values were calculated for each source of canola meal, 00-rapeseed meal, and 00-rapeseed expellers using the difference procedure. The ATTD of GE and the DE and ME values in canola meal were not different from the values in 00-rapeseed meal, but 00-rapeseed expellers had greater ( < 0.01) ATTD of GE and DE and ME values than 00-rapeseed meal. Average DE and ME values were 3,378 and 3,127 kcal/kg DM in canola meal, 3,461 and 3,168 kcal/kg DM in 00-rapeseed, and 4,005 and 3,691 kcal/kg DM in 00-rapeseed expellers. The ATTD of ADF was 12.3% greater ( < 0.01) in 00-rapeseed meal than in canola meal, but no differences were observed in ATTD of NDF between canola meal and 00-rapeseed meal. No differences were observed in ATTD of ADF and NDF between 00-rapeseed meal and 00-rapeseed expellers. The models for predicting the DE and ME values of canola and rapeseed products were DE = -1,583 + 6.64 × ash + 7.01 × ADF - 33.17 × NDF + 98.66 × ADL + 1.07 × GE ( = 0.94) and ME = -630.8 + 14.13 × ash + 5.02 × crude fiber + 3.45 × ADF + 1.03 × DE ( = 0.98). In conclusion, the digestibility of energy and NDF and the DE and ME values are not different between canola meal and 00-rapeseed meal. However, 00-rapeseed expellers have greater energy digestibility and contain 7.6% more DE and 7.7% more ME than 00-rapeseed meal.