Short Communication: Energy values and apparent total tract digestibility coefficients of copra meal and palm kernel meal fed to growing pigs

Abstract

Jang, Y. D. and Kim, Y. Y. 2013. Short Communication: Energy values and apparent total tract digestibility coefficients of copra meal and palm kernel meal fed to growing pigs. Can. J. Anim. Sci. 93: 517–521. To determine energy values and coefficients of apparent total tract digestibility (CATTD) of copra meal (CM) and palm kernel meal (PKM), 24 growing pigs were fed a corn–soybean meal basal diet and the basal diet replaced by 300 g kg−1 of either CM or PKM. Copra meal had higher CATTD of gross energy (12%), dry matter (DM; 13%), neutral detergent fiber (16%), acid detergent fiber (23%), and crude fiber (79%; P<0.05) than PKM. Copra meal had a slightly higher digestible energy (DE) value than PKM (14.08 vs. 13.01 MJ kg−1 DM; P=0.067), but metabolizable energy (ME; 13.33 vs. 12.83 MJ kg−1 DM), net energy (7.97 vs. 7.36 MJ kg−1 DM), and ME:DE ratio did not differ between CM and PKM. Therefore, compared with PKM, CM can be a better source of dietary energy in swine diets as evidenced by higher CATTD of energy and fiber components.