Amino acids requirements for pigs, poultry, fish

The guide also refers to:

– poultry: broilers, pullets, laying hens, turkeys and ducks,
– swine: piglets, growing-finishing pigs, gilts, gestating and lactating sows, entire males,
– aquaculture:  freshwater fish, marine fish and shrimps.

The recommendations are expressed in digestible amino acids, and when not available on total amino acids.
To achieve this new guide, Adisseo’s experts have realised an extensive review of literature for the last twenty years (more than 200 articles for poultry and swine) and included most recent discussions from the Advancia forums.

A meta analysis has been lead on experiments designed with at least four amino acid levels.

Based on a model approach developed  in 2002(1) and 2005 (2) by Pierre Andre Geraert (currently Innovation marketing director at Adisseo), amino acids requirements are calculated according to weight gain of growing animals or egg mass of layers.
The digestible amino acid requirements are then expressed in gram of amino acid intake per animal and per day, knowing that these requirements increase linearly with the average daily gain or egg mass.

This methodology is also used, when enough data are available for essential amino acids: methionine, threonine, tryptophan, arginine, isoleucine and valine for broilers, laying hens, turkeys and pigs requirements. As an example, the minimum digestible amino acid intake of pigs in relation with average daily gain from 3 to 115 kg are shown in Figure 1.

The recommendations for non essential amino acids (cystine, alanine, praline, tyrosine, etc …), are calculated according to an ideal protein profile, with lysine as the reference.

Very recent trials achieved by the BARC Institute in Thailand show that Adisseo’s new recommendations lead to better economical results than the other sources available.

A flipchart of this booklet is available on the Adisseo’s web platform FeedSolutions.adisseo.com.

This Guide is an extract of the upcoming electronic version of Rhodimet Nutrition Guide, an interactive tool, that allows nutritionists and formulators to calculate the amino acids requirements of various animal species under different rearing conditions.

Fig 1 : Minimum Digestible amino acid intake (g/d) for optimal feed conversion ration (g/g) covering varios bodyweight ranges from 3 to 115 kg : lysine, 66 trials ; methionine, 23 trials ; methionine + cystine, 51 trials ; threonine, 16 trials ; tryptophan, 30 trials ; isoleucine, 17 trials and valine, 13 trials