Effects of Amylase and Cellulase Supplementation in Sorghum-based Diets for Finishing Pigs

Three experiments were conducted to determine the effects of a sorghum-specific enzyme system, derived from an Aspergillus niger and Bacillus subtilis fermentation extract (carbohydrase activity of 1,650 $\alpha$-amylase units and cellulase activity of 30 fibrinolytic units/mL), on growth performance of finishing pigs. In Exp. 1,192 pigs (average initial BW of 46.1 kg) were fed sorghum-based diets without or with 360 mL of enzyme system per ton of sorghum in a 78 d growth assay. For d 0 to 39, gain/feed was improved (p<0.03) with enzyme supplementation, but ADG was not affected (p>0.15). For d 39 to 78 and overall (d 0 to 78), ADG, gain/feed, and digestibilities of DM and N were not affected (p>0.13) by enzyme supplementation. Backfat thickness, fat-free lean index, and scores for stomach keratinization and ulcers also were not affected (p>0.15) by the dietary treatments. In Exp. 2,168 pigs (average initial BW of 58.4 kg) were fed diets without or with 150, 300, or 450 mL/ton of the same enzyme system used in Exp. 1. Adding as much as 450 mL enzyme system / ton of sorghum did not affect (p>0.15) ADG or gain/feed for d 0 to 29 of the growth assay. However, during d 29 to 63, ADG increased by 11% (linear effect, p<0.02) and gain/feed increased by 10% (linear effect, p<0.06) as enzyme concentration was increased from none to 450 mL/ton of sorghum. For the overall period (d 0 to 63), ADG tended to increase (p<0.08) with enzyme supplementation, but gain/feed and digestibilities of DM and N were not affected (p>0.14). Carcass characteristics (dressing percentage, backfat thickness, and fat free lean index) also were not affected (p>0.20) by addition of the enzyme system. In Exp. 3,176 pigs (average initial BW of 46.7 kg) were fed diets without or with 450, 900, or 1,350 mL/ton of the same enzyme system used in Exp. 1 and 2 in a 71 d growth assay. Adding up to 1,350 mL/ton of enzyme had no effects (p>0.15) on ADG, gain/feed, digestibilities of DM and N, and carcass characteristics (dressing percentage, backfat thickness, and fat-free lean index). In conclusion, finishing pigs fed diets with a sorghum-specific enzyme system showed some positive trends for improved growth performance, but those effects were not large and (or) consistent.