Energy and Nutrient Digestibility in Distillers Dried Grain with Solubles Fed to Growing Pigs

The concentration of gross energy in distillers dried grain with solubles (DDGS) is greater than in corn. However, because of a lower digestibility of energy in DDGS than in corn, there is no difference in the concentration of digestible and metabolizable energy between DDGS and corn. The apparent and standardized ileal digestibility of amino acids in DDGS does vary among sources but, with the exception of lysine, the variability is no greater than what has been reported for other feed ingredients. Lysine in DDGS may be damaged if excessive heating is used during the drying process, which in turn leads to a low digestibility of lysine. The digestibility of phosphorus in DDGS is approximately 58%. This value is greater than in corn. Therefore, pigs fed DDGS need less inorganic phosphorus in the diet than pigs fed diets containing no DDGS.