Determining the nutritional values of new corn varieties on pigs and broilers

Abstract

The objective of this study was to evaluate the nutritional values of three new corn varieties (high-iron corn, cadmium-resistant corn, low-phytate phosphorus corn) cultivated with molecular marker-assisted selection breeding technique fed to growing pigs and broilers. Exp. 1 was conducted to compare the nutritional values of high-iron corn, high-chromium corn, low-phytate phosphorus corn and conventional corn fed to growing pigs based on a 15 × 2 Youden square design. Exp.2 was conducted to compare the nutritional values of high-iron corn, low-phytate phosphorus corn and conventional corn fed to broilers based on a completely randomized design. Parameters including nutrient digestibility, available energy and amino acids, and mineral deposition were measured. The results shows that the iron content in the high-iron corn and the cadmium content in the cadmium-resistant corn were 29.608 mg/kg and 0.0057 mg/kg, respectively, both were greater than those in the other three kinds of corns. When fed to growing pigs, the neutral detergent fiber digestibility of the high-iron corn group was lower than that of the conventional corn group (p < 0.05), and the acid detergent fiber digestibility of the high-iron group and the low-phytate phosphorus corn group was lower than that of the conventional corn group (p < 0.01). In addition, the digestible energy value of the high-iron corn in growing pigs was lower than that of the conventional corn (p < 0.05). When fed to broilers, it was observed that the tibia length of the low-phytate phosphorus corn group and the high-iron corn group was lower than that of the conventional corn group (p < 0.05). Moreover, the iron emission in feces of broilers fed the low-phytate phosphorus corn was lower than those fed the conventional corn and the high-iron corn (p < 0.05). In conclusion, modern breeding techniques could provide new plant ingredients which have potential benefits to pig and broiler production, but the comprehensive effects may be better when applied to growing pigs considering growth performance and environment effects. The breeding techniques related to the current study rarely changed the available energy values of the corn in growing pigs and broilers.

Keywords: broiler; cadmium; growing pig; iron; new corn variety; nutritional value; phytate phosphorus.