Protein And Fiber Kinetics

Tuesday, September 24, 2024

Expanding The Boundaries Of Feed Formulation

By Fiona Tansil

Protein and fibre are two of the key nutrients that swine nutritionists consider when designing diets. Traditionally, the focus has been primarily on crude protein levels, standardized ileal digestible amino acids, and functional or structural fibres. However, we are now taking our understanding of fibre and protein to the next level. This article explores the new field of protein and fiber kinetics in swine nutrition.

Kinetio leverages the protein and fiber degradation kinetics of various ingredients, representing a significant advancement in swine nutrition. The rate of reaction – how fast or slow a nutrient is digested by the animal over a period of time and whether the reaction rate is static or dynamic. With nutrient kinetics technology, we can classify fibre and protein nutrients as fast, slow, or resistant, providing a more comprehensive and dynamic approach to optimizing swine diets.

A laboratory method has been developed and validated to analyze nutrient kinetics in feed ingredients, which has allowed the formation of a nutrient kinetic library. Currently, we know the nutrient kinetic values of over 300 feed ingredients. By measuring the proportion of fast, slow, and resistant protein and fibre in feed ingredients, nutritionists can better understand how ingredients degrade in the animal’s digestive tract. This insight allows for the use of unique alternative ingredients, offering flexibility and efficiency to producers, and maximizing the use of locally available ingredients.

Some nursery programs have already incorporated nutrient kinetic technology to enhance efficiency and health during the post-weaning period. Research studies have also shown that pigs that are fed diets formulated with nutrient kinetic technology have improved performance and a lower incidence of post-weaning diarrhea. These benefits are also observed in nursery pigs fed low zinc diets.

In a research trial conducted in Quebec, involving approximately 1,100 piglets, formulating low-zinc (150 ppm) nursery diets while considering fibre and protein kinetics resulted in a significant improvement in performance, compared to both the high-zinc positive control (2,500 ppm) and the low-zinc negative control diets. Additionally, the incidence of diarrhea at 14-days post weaning was reduced by incorporating Kinetio technology into the diet formulation.

Additionally, a recent research study, conducted in the Netherlands, explored the effects of protein digestion kinetics in lactating sows (Ye et al., 2022). The study found that feeding lactating sows a higher percentage of slow-digesting protein led to increased litter weight gain (Table 1). Also, sows fed a diet with higher levels of slow protein had lower loin muscle loss and overall lower maternal body weight loss compared to those on the control diet. Additionally, amino acid utilization was improved with higher levels of slow protein. The high level of slow protein likely reduced amino acid oxidation, as evidenced by lower plasma urea levels throughout lactation, thereby increasing the available substrate for milk protein synthesis (Ye et al., 2022).

In another sow trial at the Centre de développement du porc du Québec (CDPQ), three levels of protein kinetics were evaluated in lactating sows. We found improvements in litter gain (P < 0.05) and lower maternal body weight loss (P < 0.05; Table 2) in sows fed a diet with a higher inclusion of slow protein. These results were consistent with the results of the trial conducted in the Netherlands.

Understanding protein and fibre kinetics advances nutritional knowledge and is a valuable formulation asset that can support swine nutritionists in creating precise diets for all phases of pig production. Incorporating this knowledge provides flexibility in feed formulation, leading to optimized and consistent animal performance. As such, incorporating nutrient kinetics into swine diet formulation is a valuable tool for the future of the swine industry. BP