Growth performance and carcass characteristics of grower-finisher pigs fed high-quality corn distillers dried grain with solubles originating from a modern Midwestern ethanol plant1

Abstract

A growth performance and carcass evaluation study was conducted to determine the maximal inclusion rate of corn distillers dried grain with solubles (DDGS) in grower-finisher pig diets when formulated on a total AA basis. A total of 240 (28.4 +/- 0.8 kg of BW) crossbred pigs [(Yorkshire x Landrace) x Duroc] were allotted randomly within sex and weight outcome groups to 1 of 24 pens. Pens were assigned randomly within the initial BW groups to 1 of 4 dietary treatment sequences in a 5-phase grower-finisher feeding program in a 4 x 3 factorial arrangement of treatments. The inclusion level of DDGS (0, 10, 20, or 30%) in the diet and the initial BW class [low (23.2 kg), medium (28.1 kg), or high (33.8 kg)] served as the main factors for the grower-finisher performance study. All diets were formulated to contain similar concentrations of total Lys, ME, calcium, and phosphorus within each phase. Pigs were slaughtered and carcass data were collected when the average BW of pigs in a pen reached 114 +/- 2.25 kg. Dietary treatment and initial weight groups did not interact for any response variables, and only the main effects of dietary treatment are presented. Pigs fed the 20 or 30% DDGS diets had reduced ADG (P < 0.05) compared with that of the 0 or 10% DDGS groups, but ADFI was unaffected by dietary treatment. Gain:feed decreased when pigs were fed 30% DDGS (P < 0.05) compared with the 0, 10, and 20% DDGS dietary inclusion levels. Loin depth was lower in pigs fed the 30% DDGS diets (P < 0.05), but backfat depth and percentage of carcass lean did not differ among treatments. Iodine number of carcass fat increased linearly (P < 0.01) with increasing dietary DDGS concentration, and belly firmness adjusted for belly thickness was reduced (P < 0.05) for pigs fed the 30% DDGS diets compared with pigs fed the 0 or 20% DDGS diets. Color measurements, ultimate pH, and visual evaluations (color, firmness, and marbling scores) of the LM did not differ among treatments. Cooking loss, 24-h drip loss, and total moisture loss were not affected by DDGS in the diets. However, differences were detected between 0 and 20% DDGS treatments for 11-d purge loss (P < 0.05). Dietary treatment did not affect Warner-Bratzler shear force of cooked loin chops. Results from this study indicate that when diets for grower-finisher pigs are formulated on a total AA basis, less than 20% DDGS should be included in the diet for optimal performance and carcass composition. Feeding DDGS in swine finishing diets did not have any detrimental effects on pork muscle quality.

Effects of conjugated linoleic acid or betaine on the growth performance and fatty acid composition in backfat and belly fat of finishing pigs fed dried distillers grains with solubles

“…The addition of DDGS to the diets produced no difference (P > 0.05) in the first-rib, tenth-rib and last-rib backfat and LM area compared with the control. The results of the present study agreed with the reported previous studies (Whitney et al, 2006). Yoon et al (2010) reported no effect on the backfat depth in pigs fed diets containing DDGS.…”

“…Likewise, no effects (P > 0.05) of the DDGS + CLA or DDGS + betaine diets were observed on LM color L*, a*, b*, drip loss, pH and shear force compared with the control and DDGS group. These observations agree with the findings of Whitney et al (2006), who concluded that feeding diets containing up to 300 g DDGS/kg to grower-finisher pigs had no effect on LM color L*, ultimate pH, 24-h drip loss and Warner-Bratzler shear force values. Similarly, Yoon et al (2010) observed no differences in LM color L*, a*, b* in pigs fed diets containing No effects (P > 0.05) of the DDGS + CLA or DDGS + betaine diets were observed on the dressing percentage compared with the control and DDGS diets.…”

“…The dressing percentage and HCW were reduced (P < 0.05) by the addition of DDGS to the diets compared with the control. The dressing percentage has been shown decreased in some previous experiments (Whitney et al, 2006;Xu et al, 2010) as the concentration of DDGS in the diet. However, Widmer et al (2008) and Yoon et al (2010) did not observe any differences in the dressing percentage between the control group and DDGS diets.…”

“…Similar to our results, DeDecker et al (2005) and Widmer et al (2007) reported that the inclusion of DDGS in diets fed to growingfinishing pigs had no effect on growth performance. However, Whitney et al (2006) and Linneen et al (2008) reported the Effects of conjugated linoleic acid/betaine on pig decreased growth performance as the increased concentration of dietary DDGS. The research including hundreds of pigs showed that 30% or 45% DDGS in diets reduced the ADG, but did not affect the ADFI or G : F (Cromwell et al, 2011).…”

Validation of metabolisable energy prediction equation for de-oiled corn distillers dried grains with solubles fed to finishing pigs

“…The reason may be that the decreased energy intake affected the energy-protein ratio which caused the low deposition of protein. This is in agreement with previous research (Whitney et al 2006;Gaines et al 2007). However, the backfat depth and LMA in pigs fed the diet calculated by prediction equation did not differ compared with the control diet.…”