Isoleucine and valine supplementation of a low-protein corn-wheat-soybean meal-based diet for piglets: growth performance and nitrogen balance.

The effects of Ile and Val supplementation of a low-CP, corn-wheat-soybean meal-based piglet diet on growth performance, incidence of diarrhea, and N balance were studied using 60 Landrace x Duroc male piglets in a 4-wk experiment. The 60 individually caged piglets were divided into 5 dietary treatments, each consisting of 12 piglets. Diet 1 was a positive control diet (20% CP); diet 2 was a low-CP negative control diet (17% CP); diets 3, 4, and 5 were low-CP diets to which Ile, Val, or the combination of Ile and Val were added, respectively. All diets were supplemented with Lys, Met, Thr, and Trp to provide the required concentrations of these AA according to the 1998 NRC. Average daily gain and ADFI were similar among pigs fed the positive control, Val-added, and the Val plus Ile-added diets. On wk-2 and wk-4, fecal score was greater (softer feces) in piglets fed the 20% CP level compared with the remaining treatments (P < 0.01). Nitrogen intake was decreased (P < 0.0001) in pigs fed diets containing low levels of CP compared with pigs fed the 20% CP diet. Fecal N excretion (g/d) was decreased (P < 0.05) in piglets fed low-CP diets at wk 1 and wk 4 of feeding, and in urine at wk 4 of feeding. Crude protein levels or AA supplementation had no effect on N retention efficiencies. These results indicate that the supplementation of Val alone, or in combination with Ile, to a low-CP piglet diet with adequate levels of Lys, Met, Thr, and Trp is necessary to achieve maximum performance in pigs consuming corn-wheat-soybean meal-based diets.