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Interaction between Energy Level in the Diet and Environmental Temperature on the Utilization of Energy in Growing Pigs¹

Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique, St. Gilles 35590 L'Hermitage, France

Abstract

Thirty-two pigs weighing approximately 50 kg were maintained in respiration chambers to measure their heat production and the partition of energy retention between protein and fat deposition at two environmental temperatures (23 and 13 C) and with two energy levels in the diet: 3.39 (HE) and 2.92 (LE) Meal ME/kg. From energy balance data, maintenance requirements (MEm) and the efficiency (k) of energy (ME) utilization for energy deposition were calculated for each treatment. For both diets, MEm averaged 122 kcal ME/kg^.75 at 23 C, the rate of increase of MEm being 3.7 kcal ME/kg^.75 for each 1 C decrease in the environmental temperature. At 23 C, k was higher with the HE diet (.81 vs .55) and similar for both diets (.78) at 13 C. At comparable ME intakes, heat production was higher with the LE diet at 23 C, and the rate of increase of heat production between 23 and 13 C was lower with the LE diet (1 kcal/kg^.75) than with the HE diet (3 kcal/kg^.75), resulting in similar heat production at 13 C for both diets. This resulted in an interaction (P<.01) between temperature and diet on heat production. Protein retention was lower (P<.01) at 13 C but unaffected by diet at both temperatures. This resulted in an interaction (P<.01) between temperature and diet on fat retention. Consequently, energy of LE and HE diets was similarly utilized at 13 C, while at 23 C, the HE diet was better utilized. The comparison between these results and those obtained in growth experiments is discussed.

¹ The authors gratefully acknowledge S. Dubois for technical assistance.

² Station de Recherches sur l'Elevage des Pores.