Effects of adding liquid lactose or molasses to pelleted swine diets on pellet quality and pig performance

Abstract

Two experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects of including liquid lactose (LL) and molasses (M) in swine diets on pellet quality and pig performance. In experiment 1, a total of 194 nursery pigs (DNA 241 × 600, initially 6.7 ± 0.4 kg at 27 d of age) were used in a 33-d experiment evaluating the effects of LL (SweetLac 63; Westway Feed Products, Tomball, TX) or cane molasses on nursery pig performance and pellet quality. Pelleted experimental diets were fed from d 0 to 21, and a common pelleted diet fed from d 21 to 33. Dietary treatments consisted of a control diet containing 19.1% total sugars from whey powder and whey permeate and experimental diets with a percentage of whey permeate replaced by either 5% or 10% LL or 9.4% cane molasses (5 LL, 10 LL, and 9.4 M, respectively). Hot pellet temperature and production rate decreased (P < 0.05) from the control to 9.4 M treatments with 5 LL and 10 LL having intermediate effects. Pellet durability index (PDI) increased (P < 0.05) in 5 LL, 10 LL, and 9.4 M, respectively. From d 0 to 7, pigs fed the 10 LL and 9.4 M treatment had the best G:F followed by the control and 5 LL treatments. From d 0 to 21, ADFI had a marginally significant improvement (P < 0.10) in pigs fed up to 10 LL in the diet. Fecal consistency scores at d 7 were also firmer (P < 0.05) in pigs fed 9.4 M compared with pigs fed the control or 5 LL treatments with pigs fed the 10 LL treatment being intermediate. There was no evidence for differences in fecal consistency scores for d 14. In experiment 2, a total of 289 finishing pigs (DNA 241 × 600; initially 53.5 ± 0.5 kg BW) were used in a 53-d experiment evaluating the effects of LL on pellet quality and finishing pig performance. Experimental diets were fed in pelleted form from d 0 to 53 divided into three phases. Dietary treatments were a corn-soybean meal control diet with 0%, 2.5%, 5%, and 7.5% LL added in the place of corn. PDI improved (linear, P < 0.01) with increasing inclusion of LL. There were no differences in ADG, ADFI, final BW, or carcass characteristics. Pigs fed diets with increasing levels of LL tended to have improved (quadratic, P = 0.070) G:F.

Invited review: strategic adoption of antibiotic-free pork production: the importance of a holistic approach

“…It should also be kept in mind that the use of various milk by-products can be problematic due to their negative impact on pellet mill throughput. Appropriate combinations of diet moisture level, heat, and shear help to minimize their impact in this regard ( Dunmire et al, 2020 ). Increasing the level of fat in the diet by adding fat directly or utilizing basal ingredients with higher endogenous fat content is frequently recommended.…”

“…Furthermore, researchers have investigated alternative carbohydrates with interesting results. Dextrose, sucrose, liquid lactose and molasses have all been proposed as full or partial replacements for dried lactose ( Dunmire et al, 2020 ; Zhao et al, 2021 ). Recently, Clouard et al (2018) reported that using maltodextrin in place of lactose in a liquid milk replacer improved cognitive performance 8 wk later and did not impact growth performance.…”

Soybean Molasses in Animal Nutrition

“…Therefore, adding molasses in mixer or in a conditioner together with steam may aid compaction of particles during the pelleting process [ 52 ]. In the study by Dunmire [ 58 ], liquid sugar cane molasses was used as a substitute for whey permeate in nursery pig diets at a level of 9.4% significantly improved pellet durability and reduced amount of fines after the pelleting process. As far as the authors of this review are aware, there is no literature that investigates the influence of addition of soybean molasses in animal feed diets on the pelleting process and pellet quality.…”

“…Even so, soybean molasses is still a viscous and sticky liquid that must be uniformly added into the mixer during feed production by spraying through the nozzle. Otherwise, it can create lumps in mash feed which can negatively influence diet homogeneity or pellet quality, and it also requires frequent cleaning since it can create build-ups in mixer or pellet die and, therefore, increase wear of the equipment [ 58 ].…”