Abstract

HLATINI, V. A.; NCOBELA, C. N.; THABETHE, F.  and  CHIMONYO, M.. Influence of dietary protein contents on serum biochemical profiles of growing Windsnyer pigs. S. Afr. j. anim. sci. [online]. 2024, vol.54, n.5, pp.606-619. ISSN 2221-4062.  https://doi.org/10.4314/sajas.v54i5.07.

The response in the concentration of nutritionally-related blood metabolites to decremental dietary protein contents was evaluated in growing Windsnyer pigs. A total of thirty, healthy, Windsnyer indigenous pigs weighing 23 ± 0.62 kg were randomly allocated into individual pens in a complete randomized design. Each of the six dietary treatments was replicated five times. The diets were formulated to contain 193, 174, 154, 135, 116, and 97 g/kg CP contents with a similar energy content of 9.5 MJ/kg. Pigs were allowed ad libitum access to the diets and clean water. After 8 w of feeding, Windsnyer pigs were fasted overnight before blood collection. A 10-ml blood samples was collected by jugular venupuncture in non-coagulated vacutainer tubes containing sodium heparin as an anticoagulant. Nutritional-related blood metabolites and liver enzyme activity were determined. There was a linear decrease in total serum protein as dietary protein decreased. There was a quadratic relationship between serum protein and serum albumin. A negative quadratic relationship for serum globulin was observed as dietary protein decreased and in serum aspartate aminotransferase as dietary protein increased. The plateau for albumin, globulin, albumin to globulin ratio, and aspartate aminotransferase occurred at 4.54 g/dl, 5.37 g/dl, 0.8, and 208 U/L and optimum protein was estimated to be 129.2, 125.3, 119.3, and 130.4 g/kg DM, respectively. The results suggest that 135 g/kg crude protein could be appropriate to meet the protein requirements for growing Windsnyer pigs.

Keywords : albumin; cholesterol; glucose; liver enzymes; slow-growing pig; total serum protein.

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