Growth performance and nutrient digestibility in pigs fed wheat distillers dried grains with solubles-based diets supplemented with a multicarbohydrase enzyme.

The objective was to investigate the effect of supplementing a wheat distillers dried grains with solubles (wheat DDGS)-based diet with carbohydrase enzyme blends on growth performance and nutrient digestibilities in growing and finishing pigs. In Exp. 1, 48 pigs with a BW of 36.5 +/- 1.03 kg (mean +/- SD) were randomly assigned to 24 pens (2 pigs per pen) on the basis of sex and BW, and pigs were randomly allocated to experimental diets (6 pens per diet). Dietary treatments were a positive control (PC) formulated to meet or exceed NRC (1998) nutrient requirements and a negative control (NC) with DE and Lys reduced by 4 and 5%, respectively, from the PC diet and fed without or with an enzyme blend at 2 levels. Level 1 enzyme supplied 2,600 U of xylanase, 1,200 U of beta-glucanase, and 1,300 U of cellulase per kg of diet; level 2 enzyme provided twice the activities for each enzyme in level 1 per kilogram of diet. Chromic oxide was used as an indigestible marker. Pigs fed the NC diet had less (P < 0.05) ADG than those fed the PC diet. Supplementing the NC diet with enzyme blends linearly increased ADG (P < 0.01). The ADFI was not affected by dietary treatment. The PC diet had greater (P = 0.04) G:F compared with the NC diet, but not the enzyme-supplemented diets. Pigs fed the PC diet had greater (P < 0.01) digestibilities of N, GE, and ether extract compared with those fed the NC diet. Addition of level 2 enzyme to the NC diet improved (P < 0.05) digestibilities of DM, N, GE, and ether extract to levels similar (P > 0.05) to those fed the PC diet. In Exp. 2, 4 ileal cannulated barrows (80.8 kg of BW; SD = 0.65) were allotted to 4 diets in a 4 x 4 Latin square design with a 2 x 2 factorial arrangement of treatments. Experimental diets contained 15 or 30% wheat DDGS and were fed without or with enzyme addition. The enzyme supplement supplied 2,200 U of xylanase, 1,100 U of beta-glucanase, and 1,200 U of cellulase per kg of diet. Apparent ileal digestibilities (AID) of DM, OM, and energy in enzyme-supplemented diets were greater (P < 0.05) than in unsupplemented diets. There was an interaction effect (P < 0.05) of wheat DDGS inclusion level and enzyme supplementation on AID of DM and Ser. Enzyme supplementation improved (P < 0.05) AID of DM in the diet with 30% wheat DDGS but not 15% wheat DDGS. The results shows that multienzyme supplementation of 30% wheat DDGS-based diet improved growth performance and apparent total tract digestibility of DM, N, GE, and crude fiber in growing pigs and AID of nutrients in finishing pigs.