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Effect of Amino Acids on Non-Protein Nitrogen Utilization by G-F Swine¹

Nebraska Agricultural Experiment Station, Lincoln³ 68503

Abstract

Two metabolism and one feeding experiment were conducted with a total of 118 crossbred pigs to determine the effect of amino acids on non-protein nitrogen (NPN) utilization by G-F swine.

In the first two experiments, 3.1% of a 14% protein corn-soybean meal diet was provided from a mixture of 66% monosodium glutamate and 28% glycine. Maximum nitrogen retention occurred when the diet contained the National Research Council's recommended levels for lysine, methionine, tryptophan and threonine. When amino acid levels exceeded the National Research Council's recommended levels nitrogen retention decreased.

The phosphorus and calcium retention pattern was not consistent across the two experiments. However, increased calcium retention was noticed when pigs were fed diets containing 0.60% DL-methionine as compared to pigs fed diets containing 0.45%. Also, phosphorus retention increased in pigs fed diets containing 0.56% DL-threonine compared to those fed 0.42%.

Packed cell volume, blood serum protein and blood serum albumin were not significantly affected in either experiment by level of amino acids or by NPN. However, pigs fed diets with high levels of lysine and threonine showed less blood serum urea nitrogen than pigs fed diets low in lysine and threonine.

In experiment 3, two levels of protein, 12% and 15% were fed. In addition comparisons were made in which mono-ammonium phosphate supplied 1.5% protein-equivalent to the diet and amino acids were added to provide 0.70% lysine, 0.60% methionine, 0.20% tryptophan and 0.56% threonine. The addition of amino acids to the 12% protein diets increased gain as compared to the gain of pigs fed the unsupplemented diets. This effect was not observed in pigs fed the 15% protein diets. Gain, feed consumption and backfat thickness of pigs were not significantly affected by the addition of amino acids or NPN to either protein level. Pigs fed the 12% protein diets gained significantly (P<.01) less than pigs fed the 15% protein diets. Also, pigs fed the 12% protein diets containing amino acids plus NPN gained significantly (P<.05) less than pigs fed the 12% protein diets plus amino acids.

Carcass length, carcass backfat, and percent ham and loin were not significantly affected by protein level, supplementation of amino acids or by NPN.

Breaking strength of the metatarsal bones indicates that monoammonium phosphate is an acceptable source of phosphorus for G-F swine.

¹ Published with the approval of the Director as Paper No. 3487, Journal Series Nebr. Agr. Exp. Sta.

² Present address: University of Florida, Agricultural Research Center, Marianna, Florida.

³ Department of Animal Science. Acknowledgement is made to Fred Krieger in caring for the experimental animals and to John Welch for assistance in laboratory analyses and to Dawes Laboratories, Inc., Chicago, for providing the vitamin mixtures used in these studies.