Total apparent digestibility and nitrogen balance in Cinta Senese pigs: utilization of field bean (Vicia faba l.)

• Main Authors: Oreste Franci, Carolina Pugliese, Riccardo Bozzi, Gustavo Campodoni, Lara Pianaccioli, Anna Acciaioli
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Taylor & Francis Group 2010-01-01
• Series: Italian Journal of Animal Science
• Subjects: Cinta Senese, Pig, Apparent digestibility, Nitrogen balance, Field beans.
• Online Access: http://www.aspajournal.it/index.php/ijas/article/view/143

This work aimed to study the digestive capacity and the nitrogen balance in Cinta Senese pigs in comparison with Large<br />White pigs, employing field bean and soybean as protein sources. Twelve 5-month old barrows, 6 Cinta Senese (CS) and<br />6 Large White (LW), were submitted to trials in metabolism cage to determine apparent digestibility and nitrogen balance<br />of diets containing soybean meal (S diet) or field bean (F diet), 10% and 20% respectively, as the protein source.<br />CS showed lower digestibility coefficients for all the nutritive fractions than LW pigs (DM: 85.33% vs. 82.87%; CP:<br />86.38% vs. 84.17%; ADF 51.35% vs. 43.31%). Nitrogen retention, also, was less favorable in CS pigs, which showed a<br />20% higher excretion (fecal + urinary) value of total N ingested (59.88% vs. 48.60%). Differences between the diets<br />were limited. Field beans, containing only 0.25% of tannin as used here, appear a valuable protein source in pig nutrition,<br />even in local breeds such as CS.