AMINO ACID UTILIZATION OF WEANING AND GROWING PIGS FED COMPOSITE CASSAVA PLANT MEAL BASED DIET AND MAIZE
The study assessed the amino acid composition of cassava plant meal products (CPMP) and maize to evaluate its amino acid utilization by weaning and growing pigs. Three CPMPs comprising a mixture of sun-dried unpeeled cassava root meal, cassava leaf and tender stem meal harvested at 5cm are mixed at ratios of 2:1, 2.5:1 and 3:1. The leaf meal to tender stem meal ratio was 5:1. Sixteen weaning pigs (10.00 ± 0.57 kg) and sixteen growing pigs (18.50 ± 1.30 kg) were assigned randomly to CPMPs and maize at weaning and growing. Pigs were kept in a locally fabricated metabolic cage for 7 days and fed 100% CPMPs and maize diets. Water was supplied unrestrictedly and animals were fed 4 % of their body weight on a daily basis. Faeces collected during the last four days of the trial were weighed and oven-dried. Subsequently, mixed, milled and representative samples were taken for amino acid assay using the spectrophotometric method of Ninhydrin chemical reaction. The experiment lasted for 42 days. The result of amino acid composition showed that tryptophan, proline, isoleucine and valine differed (P < 0.05) from each other. CPMP I, compared with maize. Lysine (P > 0.05) of maize (0.63 %) and CPMP I (0.61 %) are similar. The weaning pigs (P < 0.05) poorly utilized the amino acids. The amino acids are best (P < 0.05) utilized by growing pigs except for arginine (23.59-33.62 %). The study concluded that CPMP I compared favourably with maize for amino acid composition. The crude fibre content of the CPM products and maize increased excretion of faecal protein may be responsible for reduced apparent digestibility of the amino acid by weaning while CPMP I pigs best utilized amino acids compared to maize.
Keywords: spectrophotometric, metabolic cage, tender stem meal, Lysine, amino acid, weaning pigs.
