(Press-News.org) As interest grows in feeding distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS) to growing pigs, many questions are being asked about the digestibility of this alternative feed option.
"Previous research shows that while the amount of energy in DDGS is greater than that of corn, pigs have lower digestibility of energy in DDGS than in corn," said Hans H. Stein, U of I associate professor in the Department of Animal Sciences. "Our goal was to find out why."
Stein's team wanted to develop a greater understanding of the digestibility differences between DDGS and corn. He said the biggest difference between corn and DDGS is fiber content. Fiber contributes to the total energy in DDGS, but not much is known about how pigs utilize the fiber in DDGS.
"We want to find ways to improve the utilization of this energy source in a swine diet," he said. "But first we need to understand the role of fiber in DDGS."
Our research demonstrated that overall, the utilization of fiber in DDGS is low – less than 50 percent. Fiber is characterized as soluble or insoluble fiber. The soluble fiber consists of pectins, some hemicelluloses and some oligosaccharides, Stein said.
"Soluble fiber will change the viscosity of the digesta in the intestinal tract while absorbing water and becoming easily fermentable in the intestinal tract," he added.
On the other hand, insoluble fiber will not dissolve in solution and is made up of the hardest part of the plant such as cellulose and lignin. These fibers do not change viscosity in the intestinal tract and they are the most difficult to ferment.
"Pigs utilize soluble fiber very well, almost 90 percent," Stein said. "Unfortunately, most of the fiber in DDGS is insoluble and has a much lower digestibility. This is the reason for the low digestibility of the combined fiber fraction in DDGS. However, if we can do anything to change the solubility of fiber and make it more soluble, we know we can increase the utilization of it."
From a practical standpoint, DDGS's higher insoluble fiber content means more undigested material goes straight into the manure, which in turn creates more manure management issues for producers.
"If there is a higher fiber content in the manure, it creates a thicker slurry which could lead to more solids in the pit," said Matthew Robert, U of I visiting research engineer in the Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering. "This requires the pit to agitate the slurry for a longer period of time to get the solids moving so it can be pumped out. If more solids are left in the pit after it's pumped, it results in less storage for the future."
In addition, Stein's study also opened doors to new research methods.
"We know that fiber could be measured in many ways," Stein said. "One of the standard methods of measurement, Total Dietary Fiber (TDF), is very expensive. We found a less expensive procedure, Neutral Detergent Fiber (NDF), to be quite effective and very closely correlated to TDF."
In future research projects, this finding can help save money and make research dollars stretch further to help swine producers.
Stein's team is continuing to look for ways to increase the solubility of fiber and in turn, find new ways to require less feed to produce one pound of gain.
INFORMATION:
This research titled, "Digestibility of dietary fiber in distillers coproducts fed to growing pigs," was published in the Journal of Animal Science by Pedro E. Urriola and Hans H. Stein of the U of I, and Jerry C. Shurson of the University of Minnesota. Funding was provided by the National Pork Board and the Minnesota Pork Producers Association.
PHILADELPHIA — Postmenopausal women diagnosed with colon cancer may be at increased risk of death if they fail to maintain a healthy body weight before cancer diagnosis, according to a study published in the September issue of Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.
The researchers found that women considered "underweight" or "obese," or who had increased abdominal obesity prior to cancer diagnosis seemed to face a greater risk of mortality.
"Maintaining a healthy body weight is beneficial for postmenopausal ...
ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Chest compressions before defibrillation in patients with sudden cardiac arrest is equally successful as immediate treatment with an electrical defibrillator, according to a new study by the University of Michigan Health System.
Few people who suffer cardiac arrest outside of a hospital survive. U-M physicians, along with a team of international experts, examined two promising rescue strategies: chest compressions first vs. defibrillation first.
Their results, published online Thursday in BMC Journal, show that both timing strategies are effective, ...
Quebec City, September 9, 2010—Taking medications to treat insomnia and anxiety increases mortality risk by 36%, according to a study conducted by Geneviève Belleville, a professor at Université Laval's School of Psychology. The details of this study are published in the latest edition of the Canadian Journal of Psychiatry.
Dr. Belleville arrived at these results through analysis of 12 years of data on over 14,000 Canadians in Statistics Canada's National Population Health Survey. The data includes information on the social demographics, lifestyle, and health of Canadians ...
WASHINGTON, DC: Synthetic biology—defined as the design and construction of new biological parts, devices, and systems or re-design of existing natural biological systems for useful purposes—holds enormous potential to improve everything from energy production to medicine, with the global market projected to reach $4.5 billion by 2015. But what does the public know about this emerging field, and what are their hopes and concerns? A new poll of 1,000 U.S. adults conducted by Hart Research Associates and the Synthetic Biology Project at the Woodrow Wilson Center finds that ...
Xlibris Publishing's best selling author, Doris Washington, will have seven book signing activities before the month of September ends. Earlier this month, Doris Washington was seen signing copies of her book at Borders in 3515 Gettysburg Road Camp Hill, Pennsylvannia last Saturday, September 4. This Saturday, September 11, Xlibris Publishing author Doris Washington will have another book signing event at Borders 4420 Mitchellville Road Bowie, Maryland from 1:00pm- 5:00pm.
The rest of this self published author's book signing activities for the rest of September will ...
Social Media Michigan, a Social Media Marketing Training firm based in Livonia, Michigan will be hosting a special live training on August 16th 2010 at the Eastern Michigan University in Livonia to help individuals learn how to measure ROI on Social Media sites like Facebook, Twitter, and other social media sites. Social Media Michigan is hosting "Measuring Social Media Success", taught by a guest host, and long time Internet strategy consultant, Sarah Worsham.
"Most of the attention to date on Social Media has been about developing a message or persona to get people ...
64clicks, a Virginia-based digital marketing firm today announced the release of its Omnipresent Marketing Framework (OPM), a collection of blueprints and best practices designed to maximize the effectiveness of marketing campaigns.
"The framework was a natural response to the dramatic shifts taking place in the field of branding and marketing today. We analyzed multiple trends and compiled data from diverse industry studies. The numbers were clear - customers were looking for a balanced and holistic approach to marketing. In addition, there was a need for a repeatable ...
Trafford Publishing, one of the leading independent book publishing companies today, provides authors the chance to increase their book's exposure through their September marketing services savings. With three high-profile media marketing opportunities, self published authors can customize their book marketing services for promotional clout.
Miami Book Fair Gallery - This Trafford book marketing service allows authors to showcase their books in front of publishers, authors and book lovers at The Miami Book Fair Gallery on November 19-21. This is one of the year's most ...
September 9, 2010-Atlantic Coast UFO's, the creator of "The Kate Valentine UFO Show", which airs Fridays at 1PM on WVNJ am 1160, has launched it's second show "Viewpoints", which airs from midnight to 1am on WYNM am 970 "The Apple". Kate Valentine is at the helm on both UFO Talk Radio Shows, which can also be heard streaming live or by podcast at : http://www.atlanticcoastufos.com .
Kate Valentine intensifies her "Journey For Answers" with the addition of Viewpoints. "We are taking the quest to finding answers and understanding the UFO phenomena to the next level," stated ...
Wrinkles are a huge problem facing an aging population today. Unfortunately, too much sun and not enough nourishment to the skin over the years can cause it to get a prematurely aged and wrinkled appearance.
As the skin becomes dehydrated, sun damaged and less elastic, excessive contraction of facial muscles may cause visible, deep wrinkles between the eyebrows to form.
There is a real new alternative to the surgical treatments that correct the deepest facial wrinkles- Skeyndor Corrective. Following intense research into surgical cosmetics (which took years and numerous ...
