Performance of Growing/Finishing Pigs Fed Hulled and Dehulled Peas With and Without Dietary Enzymes

Thacker, P. A.; Racz, V. J.

doi:2001.14.10.1434

Article

Swine Nutrition and Feed Technology

Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences 2001;14(10): 1434-1439.
https://doi.org/10.5713/ajas.2001.1434 Published online October 1, 2001.

Performance of Growing/Finishing Pigs Fed Hulled and Dehulled Peas With and Without Dietary Enzymes

P. A. Thacker, V. J. Racz

Abstract

Eighty crossbred pigs (Large White Landrace) weighing 9.9 kg were assigned on the basis of sex, weight and litter to one of five dietary treatments in a factorial (5 treatments 2 sexes) arrangement to compare the nutritive value of hulled and dehulled peas fed with or without enzyme (0.25% Allzyme PF and 0.5% Biogal-S). A barley and soybean meal diet served as a control. Eight castrates and eight gilts were fed each diet. Digestibility coefficients for dry matter, crude protein and energy were higher for diets containing dehulled peas than hulled peas. In addition, enzyme supplementation modestly increased the digestibility of all three nutrients. Over the entire experimental period (9.9 to 103.3 kg), there were no performance differences (p>0.05) between pigs fed soybean meal based diets or diets based on any of the pea products. In addition, there were no differences in performance between pigs fed diets containing hulled or dehulled peas or between pigs fed diets with or without dietary enzyme. Castrates gained weight significantly faster, consumed more feed but had a poorer feed conversion than gilts (p<0.05). There were no differences in carcass traits between pigs fed diets based on soybean meal or any of the pea products. Carcass traits were similar for pigs fed hulled or dehulled peas while enzyme supplementation also had no effect on carcass data. Castrate pigs had a lower carcass value index, estimated lean yield and loin lean depth (p<0.05). Loin fat depth was greater for castrates than gilts (p<0.05). The overall results of this experiment provide little support for the need for enzyme supplementation of pea based diets fed to swine. In addition, dehulling did not appreciably improve the nutritive value of peas. Therefore, since the process adds to the cost of the raw product, its use is unlikely to be economical.

Keywords: Peas; Dehulling; Enzyme; Swine; Digestibility; Growth