Two experiments were carried out to determine the nutritional value of a dehydrated cassava co-product (DCC) and its effects on the performance and blood variables of piglets fed with different levels of DCC. In experiment I, a digestibility assay was performed and 30 whole-male crossbred piglets with initial body weight of 18.00 ± 0.673 kg were housed individually in metabolism cages and distributed in a completely randomized experimental design with 5 treatments, 6 replicates and one animal per experimental unit. A reference diet was formulated to meet the category nutritional requirements and the different levels of DCC replacement (6, 12, 18 and 24%) were used to replace the reference diet and composed the treatments. In experiment II, 120 piglets (60 whole males and 60 females) were used, with initial body weight of 13.05 ± 1.59 kg, distributed in a randomized complete block design with 5 treatments, 6 replicates and 4 animals per experimental unit. Treatments consisted of five feeds with increasing inclusion levels (0, 3, 6, 9 and 12%) of the DCC. The feed based on corn and soybean meal were formulated to meet the recommended levels in starting piglets feeding. The data were submitted for statistical analysis and, when presenting significant difference, the averages were compared by the Dunnet's test at 10 % significance. In the digestibility assay, the values of DCC's digestive energy and metabolizable energy of 3,022 and 2,984 kcal kg -1 in natural matter, respectively, were found. There was no significant effect (p > 0.10) of inclusion levels of DCC on the final weight and daily gain of weight however we observed a quadratic effect (p < 0.10) of the DCC levels on daily feed intake and feed conversion. For the analysis of blood parameters, the results showed that there was no effect (p > 0.10) of DCC levels on glucose and blood urea in the different treatments. The use of the dehydrated cassava co-product can be an energetic alternative to piglets in starting phase and can be used up to 12 %. Key words: Alternative food. Nutrition. Swine production.
ResumoDois experimentos foram conduzidos, objetivando-se determinar o valor nutricional do Coproduto Desidratado de Mandioca (CDM) e seus efeitos no desempenho e nas variáveis sanguíneas de leitões alimentados com diferentes níveis do CDM. No experimento I, realizou-se um ensaio de digestibilidade e foram utilizados 30 leitões híbridos, machos inteiros, com peso vivo inicial de 18,00 ± 0,673 kg, alojados individualmente em gaiolas de metabolismo, e distribuídos em um delineamento experimental inteiramente casualizado, com 5 tratamentos, 6 repetições e um animal por unidade experimental. Uma ração referência foi formulada para atender as exigências nutricionais da categoria e diferentes níveis de substituição do CDM (6, 12, 18 e 24%) foram utilizados para substituir a ração referência, compondo os tratamentos. No experimento II, foram utilizados 120 leitões (60 machos inteiros e 60 fêmeas), com peso vivo inicial de 13,05 ± 1,59 kg, distribuídos em um ...