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High moisture maize grain for growing pigs: some effects on acceptability, digestibility, nitrogen retention and performance of physical form and tocopherol supplementation
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 27 March 2009
Summary
In seven experiments involving a total of 300 Large White pigs, moist maize preserved with propionic acid was compared, at dietary inclusion levels of approximately 85%, in whole (W) or rolled (R) forms with maize taken from the same samples, dried and then ground (DrG). Propionic acid lost in drying was returned to give identical levels in all three forms. In the first two experiments the moist maize contained 37·4% moisture, was included in diets to which no synthetic tocopherol was added and had been in storage for approximately 1 year when drying was effected and experiments on acceptability (using 54 pigs offered diets based on the three forms simultaneously in Expt 1) and digestibility and nitrogen retention (using 12 pigs on two occasions in Expt 2) were started. The moist maize used in Expts 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 contained 45·8% moisture and was dried 2 months after harvesting. Between this time and 12 months post-harvesting experiments were made, with all diets supplemented with 10 g/t δ-α-tocopherol, on digestibility and nitrogen retention (using 18 pigs on two occasions in Expt 3) and performance between approximately 20 and 72 kg live weight (using three sets of 48 ad libitum group-fed pigs per set in Expts 5, 6 and 7). A further performance study (Expt 4) of factorial design and conducted over a similar live-weight range, between 2 and 5 months post-harvesting, investigated, using 72 individually but restrictedly fed pigs, responses from R, W and DrG based diets with or without the addition of 10 g/t δ-α-toeopherol.
Four months post-harvesting the δ-α-tocopherol levels of the moist and dried maize used in Expts 3–7 were 0·5 and 7·2mg/kg D.M. respectively. Five-six months post-harvesting the peroxide values of the other extractable fat of the moist maize markedly increased. In Expt 1 the diet based on the DrG form was eaten to the virtual exclusion of the diets based on the other two forms but performance responses were poor and symptoms (partially confirmed) of a tocopherol deficiency apparent. However, in Expt 4 there were no significant differences in response to the zero and 10 g/t δ-α-tocopherol supplementation. Overall, the DrG and R forms of maize gave similar utilization and growth (up to 8 months post-harvesting) responses. Compared with these responses those from the W form were inferior (in most cases significantly). When the moist cereal in R and W forms was fed after 8 months of storage (Expts 1, 6 and 7) the daily intakes of D.M. and induced growth responses obtained were lower than those obtained from the DrG form.
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