Partitioning of dietary methionine sources toward protein and non-protein fates during lactation in sows

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

Pre-weaning mortality is a major welfare concern for pigs and represents a significant loss of revenue for industry stakeholders. Methionine is an indispensable amino acid for lactating sows, necessary for protein synthesis but also for the biosynthesis of cysteine and taurine, and is the major methyl donor in the body to generate additional essential non-protein molecules like creatine and phosphatidylcholine. Research in the area of optimal dietary methionine level and source for lactating sows to maximize milk output and offspring quality is scarce. Current feeding recommendations are based on historical sow requirement estimates developed in times of lower production capacity and not considering extra-protein roles of amino acids, nor the effects on milk production or offspring quality and survivability. This research partnership will explore the effects of different dietary methionine sources on milk production and offspring survivability and growth, the partitioning of methionine between protein and non-protein fates within the lactating sow, and ultimately, generate practical methionine feeding recommendations for lactating sows. The data generated herein will also be useful for future modifications to nutrient requirements models for lactating sows. The benefits of improving sow milk production capacity by supplying the ideal dietary methionine level and source include improving sow and offspring performance, reducing the environmental footprint of pork production by maximizing the kilograms of pork produced per sow, reducing nitrogen losses from pig farms, and increasing farm profitability and the economic vitality of the Canadian swine industry.