Ileal and Faecal Amino Acids Digestibility of Some Tropical Feedstuffs in Growing Pigs

To investigate apparent ileal and faecal digestibility of protein and amino acids in some tropical feedstuffs, six barrows, average initial body weight (BW) 25 kg, were fitted with a simple T-cannula at the distal ileum and fed six diets according to a 6 × 6 Latin square design. Three monodiets which three types of cereal, broken rice, rice bran and corn, as the protein source and three cornstarchbased diets using soybean meal, peanut meal and fishmeal as the protein sources and containing 12 % crude protein were used. Chromic oxide was included as a digestibility marker. After a 5 days adaptation period, faeces were collected for 3 days and followed with 12 hours digesta collection for 2 days in each experimental period. Apparent digestibility values over the total tract were found to be greater than values determined at the ileum, indicating a net disappearance of both nitrogen and amino acids in the hind gut. It was also observed that the apparent faecal and ileal digestibilities of nitrogen and amino acids in growing pigs was highest in soybean meal and ricebran showed the lowest values.