ALTERNATIVE SOURCE OF METHIONINE FOR GROWING AND FINISHING PIGS

• Grant number: 24/15899-3
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Start date: August 01, 2025
• End date: June 30, 2027
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Animal Husbandry - Animal Nutrition and Feeding
• Principal Investigator: Cesar Augusto Pospissil Garbossa
• Grantee: Jose Alfonso Echavarria Martinez
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia (FMVZ). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Methionine is an essential amino acid for pigs, playing a crucial role in protein synthesis and metabolism. It is commonly supplemented in animal diets to promote growth and health. However, conventional sources, such as DL-methionine and hydroxyanalogous methionine, although efficient, face problems related to cost and availability. As alternatives, methionine obtained through microbial fermentation and herbal methionine of plant origin have emerged as promising options for reducing costs while maintaining efficient zootechnical performance and meat quality. Therefore, this study aims to evaluate the effects of including a herbal source of methionine in the diet of growing and finishing pigs on criteria such as production performance, meat quality and systemic factors. The experiment will be carried out at the Swine Research Laboratory (LPS) of the University of São Paulo (UPS) Pirassununga Campus. One hundred and forty-four (144) piglets (72 females and 72 castrated males) with an average age of 70 days will be randomly allocated to one of four (4) experimental treatments: T1: Positive control - DL-Methionine; T2: 33.33% replacement of DL-Methionine with an alternative methionine source; T3: 66.66% replacement of DL-Methionine with an alternative methionine source; T4: 99.99% replacement of DL-Methionine with an alternative methionine source. The experimental design will be randomized blocks (sex and initial weight), the experimental unit considered will be the average of each stall, which will consist of three animals, totaling twelve (12) repetitions per treatment. Individual weighing's will be carried out at the end of each phase, in addition to daily feed wastage and supply, and zootechnical indices such as daily weight gain, average feed consumption and average feed conversion will be analyzed. Fecal score analysis of the stalls will be carried out daily to calculate the incidence of diarrhea. Blood samples will be collected on days 0, 42 and 91 for a complete blood count; feces at two (2) times throughout the experiment for digestibility analysis; liver and muscle for metabolomic analysis and meat samples for subsequent meat quality analysis, as well as carcass analysis at the time of slaughter. It is hoped that the inclusion of an alternative source of methionine will result in higher production performance than the positive control treatment (DL-methionine).