JOURNAL OF BIOSCIENCE AND BIOTECHNOLOGY DISCOVERY
Integrity Research Journals
ISSN: 2536-7064
Model: Open Access/Peer Reviewed
DOI: 10.31248/JBBD
Start Year: 2016
Email: jbbd@integrityresjournals.org
Growth performance and nitrogen utilisation of grower-finisher pigs fed amino acid supplementation of low crude protein diets
https://doi.org/10.31248/JBBD2025.232 | Article Number: AB77916F1 | Vol.10 (3) - August 2025
Received Date: 16 March 2025 | Accepted Date: 07 May 2025 | Published Date: 30 August 2025
Authors: Folorunso, O. T. , Adeola, A. B. , Fasuyi, A. O. and Fajemilehin, S. O. K.*
Keywords: growth performance, nitrogen utilisation, Amino Acid supplementation, low crude protein diets, sustainable swine production.
This study evaluated the effect of low crude protein (CP) diets supplemented with essential amino acids (AAs) on the growth performance and nitrogen (N) utilisation of grower-finisher pigs. Sixteen pigs were randomly assigned to four dietary treatments: a control diet (18% CP) and three low-CP diets (15, 12, and 9% CP) supplemented with lysine, methionine, threonine, and tryptophan. The diets were formulated to be isoenergetic, and the experiment was conducted at the Teaching and Research Farm, Ekiti State University, Nigeria, under controlled conditions. Growth performance parameters, including average daily weight gain (ADWG), average daily feed intake (ADFI), and feed conversion ratio (FCR), were significantly (p<0.05) influenced by dietary treatments. Pigs fed with the 12% CP diet (Diet 3) exhibited the highest ADWG (539.90 ± 10.10 g) and the lowest FCR (2.12 ± 13.11), while those on the 9% CP diet (Diet 4) had the least ADWG (391.25 ± 50.52 g) and the highest FCR (2.8 ± 58.58). Nitrogen utilisation was also significantly (P<0.05) affected, with the highest N retention observed in the control diet (29.69 ± 3.52 g/day), followed by the 15% CP diet (28.92 ± 1.69 g/day). Urinary N excretion was highest in the control diet (6.29 ± 0.47 g/day) and lowest in the 12% CP diet (3.57 ± 0.52 g/day). These findings suggest that reducing dietary CP to 12% with AA supplementation maintains optimal growth performance and improves N utilisation efficiency, while further reduction to 9% CP impairs performance. However, excessive CP reduction, as seen in Diet 4, may limit AA availability, leading to suboptimal performance. This study highlights the potential of low-CP diets with AA supplementation to enhance sustainable swine production by improving N utilisation and reducing environmental impact.
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