Three experiments were carried out to evaluate the effect of adding enzymatic complex (EC) on the nutritive value of soybean hulls (SH) in starting pig feeding. The enzyme complex used contained α-galactosidase, β-glucanase, galactomananase and xilanase. In experiment 1, the digestibility of soy bean hull with addition of enzyme complex was determined at three levels (0, 200 and 300 mg/kg), using piglets with initial body weight of 22.49 ± 1.73 kg. None of the enzyme complex levels affected the soy bean hull digestibility values. Therefore another digestibility trial (experiment 2) was conducted with two enzyme complex levels (0 and 600 mg/kg). Adding enzyme complex (600 mg of EC/kg of diet) did not improve the soybean hull digestibility values. Sixty piglets were used in the performance trial (experiment 3), barrows and gilts, with 15.07 ± 1.69 kg initial body weight, allotted to five treatments in a randomized complete design, with five treatments, six replications and two piglets per experimental unit. A corn and soybean meal based diet (BD) was assessed and a further four isonutritive diets with 15% soybean hull with the addition of increasing levels of enzyme complex (0, 200, 400 or 600 mg/kg). Daily feed intake and daily weight gain were lower for the animals fed feed containing soybean hull compared to the control feed. However feed conversion improved linearly with enzyme complex inclusion (200, 400 or 600 mg/kg). The use of enzymatic complex did not affect soybean hull digestibility, but it improved the feed conversion of starting pigs (15-30 kg) fed on diets with 15% soybean hull.
alternative feedstuff; digestibility; enzymes; fiber; performance; swine
