Effect of fat source on the performance of piglets and total and ileal nutrient digestibilities after weaning

Abstract

Reis STC, Mariscal LG, Uribe LL. Téc Pecu Méx 2001,39(3)193-206. Three diets, each one supplemented with 5 % of one fat source (dry tallow, tallow and coconut oil (AC)) were evaluated in three experiments. In Exp 1 (growth assay) 96 iglets weaned at 21 days, consumed the diets during the first two weeks after weaning (phase 1), in the following two weeks (phase 2) all the piglets consumed a simple diet (sorghum-soybean meal) supplemented with tallow. At the end of the first week (P<0.01) and in phase 1 (P<0.05) the piglets assigned to the AC treatment had a lower average daily gain, but in the other weeks and in phase 2 there were no differences. In Exp 2, 36 piglets weaned at 21 days were used to peasure total digestibility of dry matter, crude protein, fat and energy, there were no differences among treatments. In Exp 3, ileal (DI) and total digestibility (DT) were measured in 18 cannulated piglets, the results showed that the fat source did not affect nutrients DI or DT, except for DT of fat and energy (P<0.05), where AC was more digestible. It is concluded that coconut oil had a good digestion from the first week of age and that tallow could be supplemented in piglet diets without provoking digestive troubles. It was not evident that the physical form of the tallow affected the nutrient digestibility or piglet performance.