Supplemental arginine ups nursery pig weight

摘要

RESEARCHERS have demonstrated that young animals have a high requirement for arginine because of the utilization of arginine by multiple metabolic pathways. Nursing piglets' arginine intake from sow's milk is low relative to the requirement for protein deposition. Based on estimates of arginine supply from sow's milk and the arginine requirement, sow's milk provides less than 40% of the daily arginine requirements for a seven-day-old nursing piglet. Based on this information, metabolic and growth data suggest that an arginine deficiency may be a major factor limiting maximum weight gain of nursing piglets.