THE QUALITY OF SORGHUM GRAIN IN ASPECT OF UTILIZATION AMINO ACIDS IN PIGS

We used 6 cannulated gilts (initial BW 34.8 ± 0.7 kg) fitted with ileal T-cannula in terminal ileum for estimation ileal digestibility (ID) of nitrogen (N) and amino acids (AA) in sorghum. Animals were fed twice a day with tested diet in daily amount 75-80 g.kg- 0.75. Water was offered ad libitum. The tested sorghum was only protein source in the diet. After 6 days during which the animals were fed with experimental diet followed 24 hours collection of ileal digesta. We used Cr2O3 as indigestible marker in amount 0.3 % of diet. We calculated apparent and true ileal digestibility of AA and N using analytic estimated values of N, Cr2O3, and AA. True ID of AA in sorghum ranged between 64.8 % (glycine) and 88.6 % (tyrosine) (P<0.05). Ileal digestibility for lysine was 72.8 % ± 2.1. True ileal digestibility for essential amino acids (80.7 % ± 2.1) was similar in comparison with true ileal digestibility of nonessential amino acids (79.7 % ± 2.4). Apparent ileal digestibility of essential and nonessential AA was 73.6 % ± 2.1 and 71.4 % ± 2.4 respectively. Sorghum is full-value nutritional source for pigs comparable with other feeds.