Citrus pulp and enzyme complex for growing and finishing pigs

Resumo

The purpose is to evaluate the effects of levels of citrus pulp (CP), over the aperformance and the carcass characteristics, with or without the addition of an enzyme complex in the feed. Seventy-two pigs were used, at 25.71 ± 7.51kg initial body weight (BW) and 98.81 ± 10.64kg final BW. The diets were formulated for the stages: 1 - 70 to 101; 2 - 102 to 130; 3 - 131 to 143 days of age. Because there was no redistribution of the animals in blocks at the beginning of stages 2 and 3, the data were evaluated at the periods: 1 - 70 to 101; 2 - 70 to 130; and 3 - 70 to 143 days of age. The inclusion of up to 15% of CP, with or without the addition of an enzyme complex in the diets, decreased the daily feed intake in Periods 1 and 2, and improved feed:gain in Period 2; however, the animals showed adaptive responses in Period 3. In the absence of the enzyme complex, the carcass yield and the fat/meat ratio decreased linearly as the levels of CP increased. In the presence of the enzyme complex, the fat/meat ratio had a quadratic behavior, and the level of 7.78% of CP determined the lowest ratio. The inclusion of up to 15% of CP with or without the addition of the enzyme complex in diets no differences in performance; therewith, it can be a feed alternative, without effect on the carcass characteristics.