Real ileal protein and amino acid digestibilities in feedstuffs for growing pigs as determined with the 15N-isotope dilution technique.

Twelve gilts, with an average initial BW of 38 kg, were fitted with a simple T-cannula at the distal ileum and two catheters in the external jugular veins. The animals were fed 700 g of one of the experimental diets, twice daily at 0800 and 2000. Diets 1 and 2 were cornstarch-based diets formulated to contain 16% CP from soybean meal and canola meal, respectively. Diets 3 and 4 contained 93.9% wheat and barley, respectively. Chromic oxide was included to determine nutrient digestibilities. Following recovery from surgery, 15N-leucine was infused continuously via a jugular catheter for 9 d at a rate of 40 mg.kg BW-1.d-1. Blood samples were taken at every feeding. Ileal digesta were collected for 24 h on d 7 and 9 of the infusion period. Assuming that the 15N-enrichment excess in the trichloroacetic acid-soluble fraction of the blood was similar to that in endogenous N, the contribution of endogenous to total N in ileal digesta was calculated. The amount of endogenous protein (N x 6.25) recovered in digesta collected from the distal ileum were 25.5, 30.5, 27.4 and 27.7 g/kg DM intake for the pigs fed diets 1, 2, 3 and 4, respectively. In the same order for the diets, the real ileal protein digestibilities were 97.5, 84.1, 99.0 and 94.2%, respectively. In addition, the real ileal amino acid digestibilities were calculated. The recoveries of endogenous protein in ileal digesta and the real ileal protein and amino acid digestibilities were higher than those determined by feeding protein-free diets for determining the recovery of endogenous protein and amino acids in ileal digesta.