110 Effect of reducing dietary acid-binding capacity on nutrient digestibility in ileal-cannulated weaned pigs

Abstract Piglets at weaning secrete insufficient gastric acid, leading to high gastric pH that may impede protein digestion and increase risks for bacterial infections. Reducing dietary acid-binding capacity (ABC) may alleviate this issue. Previously, growth performance and feces consistency were better in weaned pigs fed low-ZnO, low-ABC diet than fed low-ZnO, high-ABC diet. However, the effects of supplementing additional acidifiers to diets with different initial ABC remains unclear. In the present study, high- vs. low-ABC diets (calculated initial ABC4: 364 vs. 256 mEq H+/kg) were either supplemented or not with additional 0.75% organic acids in a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement to evaluate the effects of initial ABC and additional acidifiers on apparent ileal digestibility (AID) of crude protein (CP) and amino acids (AA), and apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD) of dry matter (DM) and gross energy (GE) in weaned pigs. Low-ABC diets were formulated using the following changes from high-ABC diets: replacing limestone with Ca formate, replacing soy protein concentrate with low-mineral soy protein concentrate, and adding a cocktail of organic acids (formic and benzoic acids). The additional 0.75% acidifiers were 0.25% formic acid, 0.25% benzoic acid, and 0.25% calcium formate. Eight ileal-cannulated barrows (initial body weight, 15 kg) were fed the 4 test diets in a replicated 4 × 4 Latin square over four 9-day periods. The AID, ATTD, digestible energy (DE) and calculated net energy (NE) values were analyzed using PROC GLIMMIX of SAS. The low-ABC diets had greater (P = 0.002) AID of CP than the high-ABC diets (86.1 vs. 85.1%). The AID of Lys, Leu, Ile, Phe, and Trp, the ATTD of DM and GE, and DE value were also greater (P < 0.05) than the high-ABC diets. The additional acidifiers interacted (P = 0.049) with the initial ABC for calculated NE value so that additional acidifiers tended to increase (P = 0.16) NE for the high-ABC diet by 35 kcal/kg but did not for the low-ABC diet. In conclusion, reducing dietary ABC increased ileal digestibility of protein and some essential amino acids, supporting that reducing dietary ABC value enhances protein and AA digestion in weaned pigs. Finally, supplementing additional acidifiers to high-ABC diets may increase diet NE value in young pigs.

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