Inclusion of spray dried plasma in diets based on different ingredient combinations increases the digestibility of energy, fiber, Ca, and P by young pigs.

An experiment was conducted to test the hypothesis that inclusion of spray dried plasma (SDP) in diets increases apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD) and/or the standardized total tract digestibility (STTD) of gross energy (GE) and nutrients in diets for young pigs, and that ATTD of energy and nutrients or STTD of P in individual ingredients are additive in diets containing SDP. Eighty barrows (body weight: 9.30 ± 0.97 kg) were housed in individual metabolism crates and allotted to 1 of 10 diets in a randomized complete block design with 8 replicate pigs per diet. Four diets were prepared without SDP and contained ingredients commonly used in the United States, Canada, the European Union, or Asia. Four additional diets were prepared by mixing 94% of the previous four diets and 6% SDP. A diet containing SDP as the sole source of P and a P-free diet were also formulated. The ATTD of GE and nutrients and the STTD of P were calculated in all diets except the P-free diet and for the four regional diets containing 6% SDP, values were also predicted from the digestibility obtained in SDP alone and the regional diets without SDP. Differences between measured and predicted values for digestibility of GE and nutrients were also calculated. An interaction was observed between SDP and region for the ATTD of soluble dietary fiber where the digestibility decreased (