Standardised ileal digestibilities (SID) of crude protein and amino acids (AA) originating from 24 different feed ingredients, including 11 feed ingredients produced from soybeans, seven by-products of starch processing, four whey products and two fish meals, were determined in piglets by means of the difference method. For the indispensable AA, the highest SID values were obtained in three out of four whey proteins (SID ≥90% for most indispensable AA), one out of two fish meals (SID ≥86%), soy protein concentrate, hydrolysed soy protein isolate (SID ≥86% for most indispensable AA), and by-products of starch processing (SID ≥84% for most indispensable AA). The lowest SID values were obtained in extruded soybeans and microbially fermented soy protein (SID ≤78% for most indispensable AA), whereas the SID values for high-protein soybean meal were intermediate (SID 80-89% for indispensable AA except for Thr). The SID values in the three enzymatically fermented soy proteins (SID 80-94% for most indispensable AA) were similar to those in high-protein soybean meal and soy protein concentrate. The results of the present study indicate that SID values of AA in feed ingredients for piglets differ considerably from those reported for grower-finisher pigs, thus there may be a need for separate feed tables for piglets.
Keywords: amino acids; piglets; standardised ileal digestibility.