AMINO ACID DIGESTIBILITY TO PIGS IN VARIOUS FIBER SOURCES 2. TRUE DIGESTIBILITY OF AMINO ACIDS IN ILEAL DIGESTA AND FECES

The effects of dietary fiber on true digestibility of amino acids by growing pigs were studied, using semi-purified diets formulated from alfalfa meal, cassava leaf meal, rubber seed meal and leucacna meal at 20% level. A protein-free diet including 5% cellulose was formulated for correcting the endogenous amino acid loss. Across all the diets, arginine was the most digestible while the least at ileal level was threonine; methionine and/or histidine at fecal level respectively. The true digestibility value of amino acids at ileal level were higher than at fecal level except control diet (cellulose). The true digestibility values at ileal level were similar for all diets but differed at fecal level in different magnitude. These results indicate that undigestible compound in individual feedstuff might confound. True digestibility should be studied together for accurate diet formulation as apparent digestibility decreased when their amino acid concentration in the diet was reduced.