FY24 Q3 Archives - Soy Meal Info Center (2024)

Our understanding of dietary fiber in sow nutrition is evolving rapidly, shifting from a once-overlooked portion of the diet to a critical component influencing intestinal functionality, gut microbiota, and modulation of digestion and metabolism. Recent advancements in fiber nutrition and analytical methods have highlighted its significance in optimizing sow lifetime productivity and welfare through its impact on nutrient utilization and overall health. Growing evidence supports the benefits of dietary fiber in gestation diets, notably contributing to sow well-being by reducing stress and behavioral issues observed in group housing systems (Sapkota et al., 2016). Accordingly, dietary fiber supplementation in gestation diets has been linked to the reduction of stillborn pigs, heavier piglet weights at birth, increased lactation feed intake, and reduced pre-wean mortality (Feyera et al., 2017). Supplementing dietary fiber during the peripartum phase has been shown to reduce the farrowing duration and the stillborn incidence (Theil et al., 2014); possibly linked to a reduction in constipation (Cardona et al., 2024) and enhanced sow energy status through greater short-chain fatty acids availability (Feyera et al., 2017). Despite the positive evidence, the practical application of dietary fiber supplementation in US sow diets has been limited due to insufficient characterization of fiber components in available ingredients. Recent advancements in analytical techniques, defining fiber components as total dietary fiber (TDF), soluble fiber (SF), and insoluble fiber (ISF), offer improved reliability and accessibility, overcoming previous barriers. Recent studies showed that a high fiber gestation diet (TDF 18% and 9% for high and low fiber diets, respectively) did not affect reproductive performance, liter size, individual piglet weight, or pre-wean mortality but it reduced weight loss during lactation (Paz et al., 2022). Moreover, studies conducted by Martinez et al. (2022) demonstrated that top-dressing dietary fiber during the peripartum phase reduced the wean-to-estrus interval (top-dress 0.45 kg or 0.90 kg/day, TDF 35%, ISF:SF ratios ranging from 2.6 to 7.4).

Dietary fiber comprises a diverse group of cell wall polysaccharides, along with lignin, that resist digestion by endogenous enzymes in non-ruminants. Over the past fifty years, our understanding of dietary fiber has significantly advanced, resulting in diverse definitions and analytical methods that have deepened our comprehension of its role in swine nutrition. However, the analysis of dietary fiber remains one of the most intricate, expensive, and resource-intensive aspects of monogastric nutrition research. From the early days of crude fiber and detergent fiber techniques to the more recent methods such as non-starch polysaccharide and total dietary fiber methodologies, analytical techniques have evolved to encompass the complex carbohydrates found in diets. Translating these chemical and analytical understandings into physiological insights poses a formidable challenge for nutritionists. This presentation aims to discuss these analytical concepts and challenges in understanding dietary fiber, with a particular focus on its impact on swine nutrition and physiology. Going beyond the concept of ‘solubility,’ we will delve into the physicochemical and physiological properties of dietary fiber, emphasizing its intricate roles in the swine digestive milieu. This includes aspects such as digestion kinetics, fermentability, rheology, viscosity, and microbial ecosystems. Moreover, research consistently demonstrates that dietary fiber can have positive effects on gastrointestinal health under specific production and dietary conditions. Paradoxically, it can also negatively impact energy digestibility and feed efficiency. By modeling the chemical nature of fiber and its role in digestion physiology, it could be possible to bridge this gap to optimize production goals and swine health in high fiber diets.

Altering the processing method via high-shear dry extrusion of both soybean meal and corn have shown to improve diet energy and digestibility. The objective was to evaluate the effect using high-shear dry extruded corn and mechanically processed soymeal on growth performance, energy, and nutrient digestibility of nursery pigs. A total of 240 newly weaned pigs (5.7 ± 1.3 kg BW) were assigned to 1 of 5 dietary treatments (n = 16 pens per treatment with 3 pigs per pen) in a complete randomized design for three dietary phases over a six-week study duration. Pigs were allowed a 7-d acclimation period where they were fed a common commercial medicated starter pellet diet (d0-7, Phase 1). In phase 2 and 3, experimental diets included: 1) solvent-extracted soybean meal and conventional ground corn (Con), 2) solvent-extracted soybean meal and high-shear dry extruded corn (ECorn), 3) Mechanically processed soymeal and conventional corn (ExSoy), and 4) Mechanically processed soymeal and high-shear dry extruded corn (same ME and Lysine as treatment 1-3) (Comb), and 5) Mechanically processed soymeal and conventional corn (energy floated with same Lys:ME) (Comb+). The phase 2 mash test diets contained 0.40% titanium dioxide as a digestibility marker (d8-21) and phase 3 test diets were fed from d22-42. Pigs were individually weighed on day 0, 7, 21 and 42 and feed disappearance was recorded to calculate ADFI and Gain:Feed within phase 1, 2 and 3, and overall (phase 2 and 3 combined). Data were analyzed using pen as the experimental unit. Compared to the Cont, end BW did not differ in the ECorn and ExSoy treatment, while Comb and Comb+ pigs were 13-17% lighter (26.1, 24.2, 24.0, 22.6 and 21.5 kg, respectively, P=0.004). Overall, the Con fed pigs had 30% higher ADG and 12-21% increase in feed efficiency compared to either Comb or Comb+ treatments (P< 0.001). Overall ADFI did not differ. During phase 3, Con and ECorn fed pigs observed increased ADG and feed efficiency compared to pigs fed either Comb treatment (Both P=0.002, respectively). Compared to Cont, ECorn and Comb+ had higher GE ATTD coefficients, while ExSoy and Comb were lower (82.1, 84.6, 86.9, 78.7 and 79.1%, respectively, P < 0.001). Nitrogen ATTD coefficients were highest in Comb+, followed by ECorn, Cont, ExSoy and Comb (84.4, 78.8, 77.9, 73.0 and 72.3%, respectively, P< 0.001).

Accurate information of amino acid (AA) digestibility in protein supplements is critical in formulating diets for nursery pigs. Soybean products are widely used in nursery pig diets due to the high crude protein (CP) concentrations. The objective of the present study was to determine the standardized ileal digestibility (SID) of AA in soybean meal, 3 sources of fermented SBM (FSBM), and soy protein concentrate (SPC) fed to nursery pigs. Ten barrows with an initial body weight of 10.5 kg (standard deviation = 0.9) were surgically fitted with T-cannulas at the distal ileum. The animals were assigned to a replicated 5 × 5 Latin square design with 10 animals, 5 experimental diets, and 5 periods to obtain 10 observations per diet. Five diets were prepared to contain SBM (48.5% CP), 3 sources of FSBM (A, B, and C; 52.6% CP, 55.1% CP, and 49.8% CP, respectively), or SPC (58.4% CP) as the sole source of AA. Each period consisted of 4 d of adaptation period and 3 d of ileal digesta collection period. The values of basal endogenous losses of AA reported in the literature were used to calculate the SID of AA by correcting the apparent ileal digestibility (AID) values. Additionally, a 2-step in vitro procedure modified for nursery pigs was conducted to determine the in vitro ileal disappearance of CP in the 5 ingredients. The AID of all indispensable AA except His and Lys in FSBM-A and FSBM-B was greater (P < 0.05) than that in SBM, whereas AID values for all AA except Trp in SPC did not differ from the values in SBM. The SID of Leu and Trp in FSBM-A and FSBM-B was greater (P < 0.05) than that in SBM or SPC. The SID of all AA in SPC was not different from that in SBM. In vitro ileal disappearance of CP in 3 sources of FSBM was greater (P < 0.001) than that in SBM or SPC.

Antinutritional factors associated with soybeans and soy products, such as trypsin inhibitor proteins, have been shown to hinder amino acid bioavailability and, consequently, affect the growth performance of pigs. Thus, our objective was to assess the impact of dietary trypsin inhibitor units (TIU; expressed as TIU/mg of feed) on nursery pig performance and health. Sixty barrows [5.56 ± 0.65 kg BW, Camborough (1050) x 337, (PIC, Hendersonville, TN)], freshly weaned and 19-21 days of age were randomly selected and allotted across six dietary treatments (10 pigs/treatment) in a randomized complete block design. All pigs were individually penned with ad libitum access to water and feed. Diets were administered in two phases directly post-weaning, spanning 14 and 28 days, respectively, and the entire test period extended for 42 days. Within each phase, diets were formulated to be isocaloric, with uniform NDF and SID lysine concentrations. In both phases, TIU were incrementally adjusted by the inclusion of soybean meal, raw ground soybeans, soybean oil, and soyhulls to attain a target TIU/mg feed of 0.5, 1, 2, 3, 4, and 6. All diets were analyzed for active TIU/mg. Pig body weights and feed disappearance were measured at the start and end of each phase to compute average daily gain (ADG), average daily feed intake (ADFI), and gain to feed ratio (G:F). Fecal consistency was assessed daily in phase 1. Pig was the experimental unit and data were analyzed with the effect of diet, including the linear and quadratic contrasts, evaluating dietary TIU levels. The average analyzed TIU/mg over both diet phases were 0.38, 0.54, 1.85, 3.16, 3.90, and 5.79 TIU/mg diet, respectively. Fecal consistency scores did not differ across diets. At the end of phase 1, body weights decreased from 8.7 to 6.9 kg as TIU/mg diet increased from 0.38 to 5.79 (linear P < 0.05). Similarly, by day 42, body weights decreased from 25.3 to 15.5 kg with the increase in dietary TIU/mg from 0.38 to 5.79 (linear P < 0.0001). Both phase 1 and 2 showed a decrease in ADG and G:F as TIU increased (linear P < 0.05). ADFI exhibited a decreasing trend in phase 1 (linear P = 0.079) and a decrease in phase 2 (linear P < 0.05) as dietary TIU increased. No quadratic responses were reported for ADG and G:F. Overall, as TIU increased, ADG, ADFI, and G:F were reduced, with 5.79 TIU/mg feed resulting in a decrease of these parameters by 8 to 22% (linear P < 0.01).

Sow prolificacy in the U.S. continues to trend higher, as does sow mortality. Replacement of soy protein (SBM) in sow diets with corn and purified amino acids (AA), may impact the health of highly prolific sows. In 2015, Denmark increased recommendations for SID methionine (MET) to SID lysine (LYS), MET:LYS to 32%, NRC (2012) recommends 27%. The primary objective of this research was to evaluate SBM and MET at higher levels for their effects on markers of health in the peripartum and lactation periods. A total of 38 parity 1-3 females (PIC 1050) were utilized with a starting body weight (BW) of 223.4kg ± 13.0 SD. On d 85 of gestation, sows were allocated by BW and parity to one of four treatments: 1 – 30% SBM (30% of diet), 36% MET:LYS; 2 – 15% SBM, 36% MET:LYS; 3 – 30% SBM, 27% MET:LYS; 4 – 15% SBM, 27% MET:LYS. Sows were fed dietary treatments 28 days pre-farrow, according to BW, and ad libitum throughout lactation. BW, body condition by caliper (BCS), and backfat (BF) were measured on days 0, 21, 2 d post-farrow, and weaning. Sows were assigned a farrowing ease score of 1-4 (1-easy to 4-difficult) based on duration, restless activity, savaging, and assistance required. Continuous glucose monitors (CGM) were placed on a subset of sows (n=12) on d 113 of gestation through 3 d post-farrow. Data were analyzed using the GLM procedure in SAS with sow serving as the experimental unit. A planned t-test was performed on CGM glucose data. Two sows were removed during lactation. The combined effect of 30% SBM and 36% MET:LYS produced an average lactation weight loss of 0.3kg, while the 15% SBM and 27% MET:LYS treatment, diets similar to NRC, lost an average of 18.1kg. Main effects: Sows fed the 30% SBM diets had less lactation weight loss than 15% SBM (Table 1)(P < 0.10). Sows fed 36% MET:LYS lost less weight than those fed 27% MET:LYS (P < 0.05). The 36% MET:LYS group also lost less backfat during lactation and had lower pre- and post-farrow body temperatures than 27% MET:LYS (P < 0.01 and P < 0.05, respectively). While no differences in blood glucose were observed, in sows with CGM, higher levels of SBM decreased interstitial glucose levels (P = 0.055).

Forty-eight crossbred gilts (PIC 1050×337; 52.55 ± 4.12 kg) were utilized to evaluate the effects of high soybean meal (SBM) inclusion with dietary enzymes on the growth performance, nitrogen balance, and gas emissions of growing pigs. This study consisted of two replicates of 24 gilts placed in individual metabolism stalls. Pigs were randomly assigned to one of six dietary treatments and blocked by body weight (4 pigs/trt/rep). Pigs were fed a common diet from day 0 to 12, the experimental diets were fed in two phased (day 12 to 24 and day 24 to 36). The experiment consisted of 3 collection periods, with each period subdivided into two subperiods to collect samples for gas emissions and nutrient balance. Manure samples were collected for 72 hours. Twice daily, urine and feces were weighed, and a ratio of the excreta were subsampled to measure gas emissions. Measurement of nutrient digestibility and retention consisted of urine and feces collections over a 72 hour-period. The six dietary treatments include: 1) basal control diet (NC) corn-soy diet supplemented with synthetic amino acids, 2) high soybean meal (HSBM) diet (PC) formulated to replace all synthetic lysine, 3) HSBM diet with xylanase (Ronozyme WX 5000, DSM) (WX), 4) HSBM diet with inclusion of a multi-enzyme additive including hemicellulase and pectinase (Ronozyme VP, DSM) (VP), 5) HSBM diet with inclusion of xylanase (Ronozyme WX 5000, DSM) and multi-enzyme additive including hemicellulase and pectinase (Ronozyme VP, DSM) (WXVP), and 6) HSBM diet with 1500 FYT/kg of phytase (HiPhorious, DSM) (SD). The NC, PC, WX, VP, and WXVP diets contained phytase (HiPhorious, DSM Nutritional Products, Parsippany, NJ) to provide 600 phytase units (FTU) per kg of diet and was assumed to release 0.15% available phosphorous. The SD diet contained 1500 FTU/kg and was assumed to release 0.21% available phosphorous. Additionally, high soybean meal diets within each phase were isocaloric. Data were analyzed as repeated measures in SAS 9.4 (Inst., Cary, NC) with fixed effects of treatment, collection period, and block. Pig was the experimental unit, and results were considered significant at P ≤ 0.05 and a tendency at 0.05 < P ≤ 0.10. Pigs fed VP had the greatest average daily gain (ADG) compared to pigs fed SD (P = 0.865). Pigs fed VP had the greatest gain to feed (GF) efficiency compared to pigs fed WXVP (P = 0.3544). Manure pH, urine pH and hydrogen sulfide tended to decrease in all treatments from phase 2 to phase 3. Pigs fed PC had the lowest manure pH compared to pigs fed SD (P = 0.0826).

Various types of soybean co-products are used in swine diets which have benefits and limitations related to protein quality, environmental impact, and feed safety. To address these concerns for sustainable pork production, methodologies have evolved. Soybean processing and storage methods affecting protein oxidation have been studied less than lipid oxidation. Protein carbonyl concentrations were measured and compared among diverse samples of soybeans and soybean meal from different regions of the US and processed by mechanical or solvent extraction. Mechanically extracted soybean meal had greater concentrations of protein carbonyls than solvent extracted soybean meal which were associated with a greater concentration of residual oil. Soybeans and their co-products also contain antioxidants that may protect against more extensive lipid and protein oxidation. Understanding the interactions between natural antioxidants and oxidation of lipids and proteins in soy co-products is important for optimizing nutritional efficiency and health in sustainable pork production systems. Because soybean meal is a major component of swine diets, its origin and environmental footprint affects the environmental impact of feed, manure, and pork production. Using a spatially explicit lifecycle assessment of feed ingredients and regional manure management programs, we compared the effect of using four feeding programs on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, land use, and embedded water consumption in 3 major U.S. pork production regions assuming they would provide equal growth performance and carcass composition. Although environmental impacts varied among regions, the corn-soybean meal feeding program resulted in the highest land and water use of all grower-finisher feeding programs, and more GHG emissions than feeding low protein amino acid supplemented (LP) diets and diets containing 8% supermarket food waste, but less overall GHG emissions than the distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS) feeding program. Results from a subsequent study showed that feeding corn-soybean meal diets optimized growth performance and carcass composition while simultaneously reducing impacts on climate change, marine and freshwater eutrophication, and fossil resource use compared with feeding DDGS and LP diets. Lastly, the extended survival of infectious agents such as African swine fever virus in feed ingredients has important implications for biosecurity and prevention of transboundary transmission of swine diseases. We developed a risk-free in situ surrogate non-animal assay (RISNA) to estimate survival of ASFV in various feed ingredients and conditions, and results indicate greater thermal stability than previously observed, and comparable extended survival among corn- and soybean-based ingredients.

The objective of this presentation was to introduce the utilization tendency and research progress of soybean meal (SBM) in swine diets in China. As for the utilization tendency of SBM in China, it not only brings great pressure to China’s food security, but also directly pushes the high production cost of animal products. In 2022, 117 million tons of protein feed was consumed by the animal husbandry in China, accounting for nearly 1/3 of the total protein feed consumption in the world. Thus, the application of low-protein diet has been promoted with the strong support of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs in China since 2018. With the related techniques, including popularizing low protein diet, developing new protein feed resources, promoting precise nutrition and feeding technology, even though the compound feed output has increased by more than 84 million tons in 2022 in China, the SBM consumption in feed has reduced 6%. Recently, the geopolitical challenges, regional unrest and climate change tendency have increased the great uncertainty of protein feed supply, which requires us to deeply understand the significance of SBM reduction and substitution in animal feed. As for the research progress, the available energy contents of SBM were determined on growing pigs. Twenty-four barrows (initial BW = 36 ± 1.4 kg) were randomly allotted to 4 diets containing SBM with either corn basal or corn-soybean meal basal, and total feces and urine collection method and indirect calorimetry method were used to determine the available energy of SBM. The results showed that the average digestible energy (DE), metabolizable energy (ME), net energy (NE), and retained energy (RE) values in SBM (17.36, 16.52, 10.62, and 5.06 MJ/kg DM, respectively) determined using the corn-SBM-basal diet were not different from the those determined using the corn-basal diet. Moreover, the best fitted prediction equations developed based on 22 SBM samples produced from soybeans from China (n = 6), USA (n = 6), Brazil (n = 7) or Argentina (n = 3) were: DE = 38.44 – 0.43 CF – 0.98 GE + 0.11 ADF (R2 = 0.67, P < 0.01) and ME = 2.74 + 0.97 DE – 0.06 CP (R2 = 0.79, P < 0.01). The in vitro digestion kinetics of SBM from different sources showed that the release of amino acids in the 0-10 min time interval was significantly negatively correlated with the NE of SBM (R2 = -0.34).

With the recent Renewable Fuel Standard Program developed by the Environmental Protection Agency, soybean oil is expected to be in record demand by the fuel energy industry. As a result, there will be the potential opportunity for increased usage of soybean meal (SBM) in swine diets. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of different levels of SBM in late nursery diets on growth performance and fecal dry matter (DM). In Exp. 1,266 pigs (DNA 241 × 600; initially 10.1 ± 0.27 kg) were fed 1 of 4 dietary treatments which were corn-based with SBM levels of 25.0, 28.9, 32.5, or 36.2%. In Exp. 2,340 pigs (DNA 241 × 600; initially 13.5 ± 0.29 kg) were fed 1 of 5 dietary treatments which were corn-based with SBM levels of 25.0, 28.9, 32.5, 36.2, or 40.0%. Both experiments lasted 21 d with 14 replicate pens/treatment and 4 or 5 pigs/pen. At d 21 and 26 postweaning for Exp. 1 and 2, respectively, pens of pigs were randomly allotted to treatments in a randomized complete block design with BW as the blocking factor. Additions of SBM replaced feed-grade amino acids to form experimental diets, and all diets were formulated to be nearly isocaloric with SBM NE considered to be 100% of corn NE. Dietary additions of feed-grade AA were adjusted to meet or exceed NRC (2012) AA requirements in relation to Lys for Ile, Met, Cys, Thr, Trp, and Val. In Exp. 1, increasing SBM from 25.0 to 36.2% decreased ADG (linear, P=0.012), ADFI (linear, P < 0.001), and final BW (linear, P=0.021), with the greatest change occurring when SBM increased from 28.9 to 32.5%. No evidence for difference between treatments was observed for G:F (P=0.729). Fecal DM decreased (linear, P < 0.006) as SBM increased in the diet at d 7 but not on d 21. In Exp. 2, starting with a heavier initial BW, increasing SBM from 25.0 to 40.0% decreased ADFI (linear, P=0.017), with the greatest change occurring when SBM increased from 32.5 to 36.2%. However, no evidence for treatment differences (P≥0.198) was observed for ADG, final BW, or G:F. Fecal DM decreased (linear, P≤0.046) at d 7 and 21 as SBM increased in the diet.