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Efficacy of Deuterium Oxide to Estimate Body Composition of Growing Swine^1,2,

The Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center and The Ohio State University, Wooster 44691

⁴ Request reprints from Dept. of Anim. Sci., The Ohio Agr. Res. and Devel. Center, Wooster.

Abstract

An experiment involving 73 pigs was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of the deuterium oxide (D₂O) dilution procedure for in vivo estimation of body composition in swine. Pigs were infused with known quantities of D₂O at 6.4 and 18 kg and then at approximately 18 kg increments to 145 kg body weight. Postinfusion blood D₂O concentrations were partitioned into early- and total-equilibrating pools. Results from D₂O analyses were compared with empty (ingesta-free) and total body water values obtained from chemical analysis of the ground animals. Both early- and total-equilibrating D₂O pools seemed to be good estimators of empty body weight. Total body D₂O space was similar to total body water at 6.4 kg, but consistently overestimated body water (averaged 20%) as the pigs attained heavier weights. Early- or total-body D₂O pool measurements accurately predicted chemically determined components with residual coefficients of variation below 5% and R²>.90. However, total body D₂O space provided as accurate an estimate of empty body water as the early-pool technique and may be easier to use because catheterization of blood vessels is not required. The incorporation of live weight and sex in multiple regression equations did not improve the accuracy of empty body water prediction over that obtained from D₂O measurements alone. A method to estimate total body composition (water, protein, fat, ash) from the total body D20 space measurements is presented.

¹ Aproved as Journal article 128-81 of the Ohio Agr. Res. and Devel. Center and the Ohio State Univ., Wooster.

² Appreciation is expressed to T. Hartman, D. Hickman and P. Graham for help in data collection and to Dr. J. Holman for statistical analysis.

³ Present address: Farmland Industries, 103 West 26th Ave., North Kansas City, MO 64116.

⁵ Present address: Dept. of Anim. Sci., Texas A&M Univ., College Station.