Net energy of a diet for finishing pigs containing Chickpea (Cicer arietinum), using indirect calorimetry and chemical composition methods

This experiment aimed to determine the net energy (NE) content of a finishing pig diet containing Chickpea (Cicer arietinum) using indirect calorimetry and chemical composition methods. The study was carried out under a completely randomized design, with (i) diet with Soybean Meal and (ii) a diet with Chickpea. Eight barrows (n = 4 animals/diet) in the finishing phase with an average initial body weight (BW) of 88.8 ± 3.41 kg were housed in metabolism cages for 17 days, which included 10 days for adaptation and 5 days for collection of feces and urine for nitrogen and energy balance. On day 15, pigs were transferred to respiratory chambers and fed one of the two diets at 550 kcal ME/kg BW^0.6/day. Total feces and urine were collected, and heat production was measured for 36 h: 24 h (day 16) heat production in the fed state and 12 h (day 17) heat production in the fasted state. The NE of the diet containing Chickpea measured by the indirect calorimetry method was 2.913 kcal/kg dry matter (DM), while the NE of the diet containing Soybean Meal was 2.939 kcal/kg DM. The NE/ME ratios were 85 and 86 % for the diet containing Chickpea and Soybean Meal, respectively. The NE values for both diets, estimated according to the chemical composition methods, were 2,537 and 2,552 kcal/kg DM for the diet containing Chickpea and Soybean Meal, respectively. In conclusion, the average NE of the two diets estimated by the indirect calorimetry method in the present study was higher (382 kcal/kg DM average) than the values predicted from the chemical composition methods used to estimate NE.