Former food products have no detrimental effects on diet digestibility, growth performance and selected plasma variables in post-weaning piglets

The effect of a diet based on former food products (FFP) as alternative feed ingredients on in vitro and in vivo digestibility of dry matter (DM), pig growth performance, and selected plasma biochemical variables were evaluated. After an adaptation period (7 d), 12 post-weaning piglets (28 days-old) were housed for 16 d in individual pens and assigned to two experimental groups: Control (n = 6), received a standard diet and FFP (n = 6), received a diet in which conventional cereals (wheat, barley, and corn), plasma powder and whey powder, were partially replaced by 30% FFP. During the experiment, stool and blood samples were also collected for DM in vivo digestibility and for plasma biochemical measurements, respectively. The results revealed that both in vitro and in vivo digestibility values were higher (p<.05) for FFP diets compared to the control diets. At the end of the experiment, no differences in BW were observed between groups (p=.61). ADG and ADFI were not affected by dietary treatment. Conversely, piglets on the FFP diet showed a lower FCR (p<.01). Finally, dietary treatment also affected plasma glucose and urea, which in pigs fed FFPs increased and decreased, respectively. Taken together, these results suggest that the use of FFPs up to a level of 30% in post-weaning diets has no detrimental effects on pig growth performance, although more studies are needed to confirm these results.Highlights CFormer foodstuffs products (FFPs) are valuable alternative feed ingredients. FFPs can partially replace cereal grains in post-weaning piglet’s diets without affecting growth performance.