Net Energy Value of ExPress® Soymeal for Swine
In swine production, feed cost makes up more than 60% of the total, and within that cost, energy concentration is the most expensive component. Therefore, definition of energy values of feed ingredients and their contribution to the diet is relevant to decreasing diet costs, optimal caloric efficiency and growth performance, seeking for good revenues in swine operations. Feed contains specific ingredients which is the fuel that pigs use for body maintenance and other vital functions. As indicated previously, the gross energy consumed by the pig is not totally retained because part of that energy is lost through feces, urine, gas, and heat. Thus, it is important to know how the expensive dietary energy is used in pig’s body.
- Digestible Energy (DE) is the difference between gross energy intake and energy losses in feces
- Metabolizable Energy (ME) is the difference between DE intake and energy losses in urine and gases of digestive fermentation
- Net Energy (NE) is the difference between ME intake and heat production.
Net energy is considered the most accurate estimate of pig’s energy need for maintenance and productive purposes and the most precise estimate of the energy value of feed. Further, diets are often formulated based on the net energy values of each ingredient to formulate diets adjusted to the requirements. Fats and oils provide high amounts of energy to those diets; however, their composition, quality and feeding value are inconsistent and prone to rancidity which can affect growth performance.
An alternative to oils/fats and blends is ExPress® soymeal, a consistent ingredient which provides not only highly-digestible amino acids, but also greater quality energy concentration for swine diets, due to a residual oil content in the meal of 6-8%. The high-shear dry extrusion process to obtain ExPress® soymeal allows the dietary energy supplied to swine at a low cost and liberates more available energy for production as demonstrated in swine trials summarized in the table below.
| Reference | Net energy, kcal/kg DM |
| Velayudhan et al.(2015) | 2,544 |
| Rodriguez et al. (2020) | 2,736 |
| Koo et al. (2021) | 3,189 |
| Overall | 2,823 |
Concentration of NE in ExPress® soymeal is 542 kcal/kg more than solvent-extracted soybean meal as observed by Rodriguez et al., (2020). Even when the other two trials did not determine the NE values of solvent soybean meal, it is evident that the NE for swine is greater in ExPress® soymeal. This is related to the higher NE in ExPress® soymeal not only to the residual oil content but also to the high-shear dry extrusion/mechanical pressing of oil process being run properly.
Key points when using ExPress® soymeal:
- Oils, fats or blends of variable composition can be removed from the diet, reducing diet costs as well.
- A consistent, high-quality soymeal is available to adjust the net energy concentration of swine diets according to nutrient requirements.
