The objective of this swine study was to measure digestible energy (DE) and metabolizble energy (ME) in a soybean meal low in oligosaccharides (LO-SBM), and compare it to a conventional SBM (SBM). The composition of the soybean meals, on a dry weight basis, was:

The DE and ME values were measured in grower pigs weighing about 51 kg and finisher pigs weighing about 95 kg. Barrows were randomly assigned by weight to a treatment consisting of either a basal diet (97.28% corn), or the basal diet with 30% of either SBM or LO-SBM added at expense of corn. Each treatment was fed to eight replicates. All diets included a phytase (500 FTU/kg of diet) without consideration of energy or nutrient contribution. Feed offer was set to provide 2.5 times their energy maintenance requirement; that calculation assumed LO-SBM to have 10% more energy than the SBM diet, thus reducing feed offered by 3% as compared to pigs fed SBM diet. Pigs were placed in metabolic cages and allowed fourteen day of adaptation, followed by four days of total collection of feces and urine. The DE and ME values of the various feed ingredients were calculated by difference.

Results indicated that both the DE and ME values measured in corn were 3% less than book values (Nutrient Requirements of Swine, 2012). The ME measured value in SBM was 13 and 6% less in grower and finisher pigs, respectively, than its book value (Nutrient Requirements of Swine, 2012).

In grower pigs, LO-SBM had 550 kcal of either DE or ME/kg of DM more than the conventional SBM (P<0.05). In finisher pigs, LO-SBM had 399 kcal of DE and 293 kcal of ME/kg of DM more (P<0.05) than SBM ingredient. In conclusion, LO-SBM had about 16.5% more energy in grower pigs and about 9.6% more energy in finisher pigs than conventional SBM.

Energy value (kcal/kg DM) of corn and soybean meals (conventional SBM or low oligosaccharides (LO-SBM) in pigs.