Distillers Dried Grains-Nutrient Digestibility

Researchers at South Dakota State University measured the digestible energy, nitrogen and phosphorus of ten distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS) collected from ethanol plants in South Dakota and Minnesota.  Eleven pigs were used in a 11x11 Latin square design experiment comparing the DDGS samples fed in a 1:1 ratio to corn.  Results indicated a significant (P<0.001) difference between the ten DDGS samples in digestible energy (3,947-4,593 kcal/kg DM) and metabolizable energy (3,674-4,336 kcal/kg DM).  The average digestible energy and metabolizable energy for DDGS and corn were 4,140 and 4,088 kcal/kg DM and 3,897 and 3,989 kcal/kg DM, respectively.  When calculated on a percentage basis, nitrogen tension was similar for DDGS and corn.  Whereas, apparent total tract digestibility of phosphorus for the ten DDGS samples averaged 59.1% compared to a value of 19.3% for corn.  They concluded that that DDGS is variable; contains about the same energy as corn; and higher levels of organic phosphorus will be digested and absorbed.

Pedersen, C. M.G. Boersma and H.H. Stein.  2007.  Digestibility of energy and phosphorus in ten samples of distillers dried grains with solubles fed to growing pigs.  J. Animal Sci. 85: 1168-1176.