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Efficiency of Dietary Methionine Utilization by Young Pigs¹

Department of Animal Sciences and Division of Nutritional Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801

An assay was conducted to determine the efficiency of dietary methionine retention for protein accretion in 14-kg pigs. During an 18-d feeding period, pigs were fed a chemically defined amino acid basal diet [147.7 g protein (N x 6.25)/kg, 14.43 MJ metabolizable energy/kg, 4000 mg L-cystine/kg] containing 1150, 1725 or 2300 mg L-methionine/kg. Linear (P < 0.01) responses in daily gain, daily food intake, daily methionine intake, gain:food ratio and empty body weight gain were obtained as dietary methionine level increased. Representative pigs were killed at the beginning of the assay for whole-body compositional analysis, and the comparative slaughter technique was used to estimate methionine retention. Absolute retention of methionine, protein, water, fat and ash increased linearly (P < 0.05) with dietary methionine supplementation. Regressing methionine retained on methionine intake resulted in an efficiency of methionine retention above maintenance of 71.7%. The maintenance requirement for methionine was estimated to be 57 mg/d (8 mg/kg body wt^0.75) in the presence of excess dietary cystine. Concentrations of most indispensable amino acids, including methionine, in whole-body protein increased linearly, although glycine and proline concentrations decreased as dietary methionine level increased. This suggests that the ratio of whole-body collagen protein to non-collagen protein decreases as dietary methionine is incremented from deficiency to near adequacy.

KEY WORDS: • pigs • methionine • cystine • efficiency of retention

¹ Supported in part by funds provided by Degussa Corporation, Wolfgang, Germany, by the Illinois Agriculture Experiment Station (project no. 35-321 and by Moorman Manufacturing Co., Quincy, IL.

² Current address: Archer Daniels Midland Co., 154 Clemenceau Avenue, #02-07 Haw Par Centre, Singapore 0923.

³ To whom correspondence should be addressed.

Manuscript received 18 February 1992. Revision accepted 26 May 1992.

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