Evaluation of hulless barley as feed ingredient in growing-finishing pigs diets: amino acid ileal digestibility

To evaluate hulless barley in growing pigs, an experiment was conducted to measure the coefficients of apparent ileal digestibility (CAID) of amino acids and protein in sorghum (S), hulless barley (HB) and barley (B) by the difference method, using soya bean meal (SBM) as a protein source. The experiment was carried under a 4 × 4 Latin square design using four castrates of an average initial weight of 40 kg, all fitted with a simple T cannula at the terminal ileum. The experimental diets contained 160 g CP kg−1. CAID of crude protein was similar (P > 0.05) among raw materials (0.690); arginine, lysine, isoleucine, methionine, threonine, aspartic acid and glycine, were more digestible (P < 0.05) in SBM. CAID of protein and amino acids in cereals was similar (P > 0.05). These results suggest that HB and S had a similar nutritional value.