Performance of growing-finishing pigs fed sesame meal supplemented diets formulated using amino acid digestibilities determined by the regression technique

Two experiments were conducted to determine ileal digestibilities for the amino acids contained in sesame meal using the regression technique and then applying the values obtained in a growth trial using growing-finishing pigs. For the digestibility trial, four, 20 kg crossbred (Yorkshire x Landrace x Beijing Black) barrows were fitted with a simple T-cannula in the terminal ileum. After recovery, the barrows were fed one of four experimental diets according to a 4x4 Latin Square design. The pigs were fed corn-soybean meal based diets supplemented with 0, 25, 50 or 75 percent sesame meal. For the growth trial, 210 crossbred (Yorkshire x Landrace x Henan Min) growing pigs (21.8 +/- 1.4 kg), were fed corn-soybean meal based diets supplemented with 0, 3, 6, 9, or 12% sesame meal. Three pens (7 gilts and 7 castrates) were assigned to each treatment. With the exception of arginine and phenylalanine, the digestibility coefficients for the indispensible amino acids declined as the level of sesame meal in the diet increased. There was little agreement between the amino acid digestibilities determined with the regression technique and values previously published for sesame meal determined with the direct method. Daily gain and fe:ed conversion both declined (linear effect p=0.02 and 0.06 respectively) as the level of sesame meal in the diet increased.