Research underway at the University of Guelph will help pulse growers ensure the novel varieties of pulses they grow meet the protein requirements of the grower finisher pig. Research underway at the University of Guelph, conducted in partnership with Swine Innovation Porc and Saskatchewan Pulse Growers, is using various methods to evaluate the protein quality of novel pulses for use in grower finisher pig diets.
Dr. Kate Shoveller, an Associate Professor with the University of Guelph and Champion Petfoods Chair in Nutrition, Physiology and Metabolism says the goals are to identify reliable methods for evaluating protein quality and provide pulse growers the information they need to ensure their crops meet the protein needs of grower finisher pigs.
Clip-Dr. Kate Shoveller-University of Guelph:
Protein is essential so we need to consume it or we'll start to lose muscle mass, we'll have decreased immune function. Really across all mammals, we're interested in making sure that we can find food and feed ingredients that support protein on a body basis every day, every week, across every country globally.
We want to make sure that we find great methodology but we also want to then be able to use those methodologies to rapidly look for new ingredients that have high digestibility and a good amino acid profile and we want to look at using those new found ingredients in diets across the food chain.
We're focussed first on transitioning some of those ingredients out of the swine sector, as they'll become in greater demand for human food. Then we can shift new ingredients into the agricultural feed sector while the human population continues to grow and demand more protein.
Source : Farmscape