Evaluation by digestibility, growth and slaughter of microbial cells as a source of protein for young pigs

Dried microbial cells were compared with white fish meal at 10 and 20% levls of inclusion in diets offered to piglets from 21–42 days of age. Digestible energy and digestible nitrogen values for diets containing dried microbial cells (DMC) or diets containing white fish meal (WFM) were 15.8 or 15.6 MJ DE/kg DM and 28.1 or 25.9g DN/kg DM at the 10% level of inclusion, and 15.6 or 15.4 MJ DE/kg DM and 35.0 or 34.3 g DN/kg DM at the 20% level of inclusion respectively. Piglets offered diets containing DMC grew at least as fast as and converted feed at least as efficiently as piglets offered diets containing WFM. At the 20% level of inclusion, gains in water, nitrogen and lipid were 4633, 170 and 435 g for diet DMC whereas equivalent values for diet WFM were 4216, 149 and 386 g; efficiencies of conversion for DE and DN were 0.27 and 0.49 for diet DMC and 0.24 and 0.44 for diet WFM.