Effects of replacement of fish meal with brewery waste
on the performance of growing pigs
 

Luu Huu Manh, Nguyen Nhut Xuan Dung and Brian Ogle*
 

Department of Animal Husbandry, Cantho University, Vietnam|
lhmanh@ctu.edu.vn
*Department of Animal Nutrition and Management, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences,
PO Box 7024, 750 07 Uppsala, Sweden
brian.ogle@huv.slu.se

Abstract

 

In an on-station trial, two groups each of twelve pigs were used in simultaneous growing and finishing experiments, to evaluate 4 levels of fresh brewery waste in diets based on  rice bran, broken rice and fish meal. The brewery waste replaced 0 (control), 30, 60 or 100% of the fish meal protein.

 

Feed DM intakes and growth rates were reduced as the dietary levels of brewery waste were increased, with the effect being more marked in the finishing phase. Contrasting  results were obtained for feed DM conversion, with apparently better conversion on the diets with brewery waste in the growing phase, but poorer conversion on these diets in the finishing phase. A 30% replacement level appeared to give the best economic return.

 

An on-farm trial was conducted with 4 households with 4 pigs in each with initial weights of 40 to 46 kg. The control diet used in the on-station trial was evaluated in one household, while in the other three households the 30% replacement rate with brewery waste was applied.

 

Performance of the pigs was very good in all the households,  with no apparent difference between the control diet and the diet with 30% replacement of fish meal protein by the brewery waste.

 

It is concluded that in diets for fattening pigs, based on broken rice, rice bran and fish meal, brewery waste can replace 30% of the fish meal on  a protein basis, without affecting performance.

 

Key words: Brewery waste, fish meal, growth, feed conversion

 

 
 

Introduction

 

Preliminary studies (Luu Huu Manh et al 2000, 2003) have shown that in order for a good economic return in pig production, the best solution is to take full advantages of local feed resources instead of using commercial concentrates. The use of by-products from agricultural and / or industrial processing such as distillers' rice waste (Luu Huu Manh et al 2000) or brewery waste (Nguyen Thi Kim Dong et al 2000) is one such opportunity, which can help to improve farmers' economic returns.

 

According to Gohl (1984), brewer's grain is not commonly used for pigs, and it is generally recommended that it should not exceed  50% of the dietary protein otherwise growth rate and feed efficiency  may be reduced. Brewery waste has 32% crude protein  in DM according to Nguyen Thanh Phi Long (1996), but it is also high in in fibre. Brewery waste has often been used for duck and pig production by small-holder farmers in the Mekong delta, however, there is no information about what is the optimum level to feed for most economic results.

 

The aim of the research reported in this paper was therefore to study a range of levels of brewery waste as a replacement for the protein in fish meal,  in diets for growing-finishing  pigs. Trials were carried out both on-station and on-farm, using the "best" result from the on-station experiment.
 

 

Materials and methods

 

Two trials were conducted to evaluate the replacement of fish meal by wet brewer’s grain for growing pigs. The first study was conducted for three months at the experimental farm, of the Animal Science Department, Cantho University. The second study was carried out  on a farm in Chau Thanh district, Cantho city.

 

Animals and experimental design

 

On-station trial

 

Animals and treatments

 

Trials were carried out simultaneously, with two groups each of 12 pigs, to evaluate the brewery waste in the growing (12 to 50 kg) and finishing phase (50 to 90 kg). The pigs for the growing trial weighed 12.1±1 kg and those in the finishing trial 45±1 kg.  The animals were allocated according to a completely randomized design into four different diets, in which brewery waste replaced fish meal at levels of 0, 30, 60 and 100% on a crude protein basis.  All animals were individually housed, and de-wormed and vaccinated before starting the trials.  The daily feed allowance was set at 4% of the animal’s live weight, and was given at  09:00 and 14:00 hours. Refusals were recorded daily to measure feed intake. Water was available throughout the experiment. The pigs were weighed at the start, at intervals of one month  and at the end of the trial.

 

Feeds

 

Brewery waste, which is the residue after beer making using mainly barley malt, was purchased every two days at a local beer company. Fish meal, rice bran and broken rice were purchased at the same time from a local feed company. The diets in the growing phase were formulated to contain 17% protein in DM which was reduced to 14% in the finishing phase (Tables 1, 2 and 3).

 

 

 

 

On farm trial

 

The on- farm feeding trial was conducted in Chau Thanh district from April to July 2001.

 

Animals, diets and treatments

 

Four households participated in the trial, each having 4 Yorkshire pigs. In one household the diet was the basal controll diets as used in the on-station trial. In the other 3 households the Br30 diet from the on-station was used, with 30% of the fish meal protein replaced by brewery waste. Initial weights of the pigs were from 40 kg to 46 kg. All households using boiled broken rice, which was cooked over night. The brewery waste was mixed with the boiled broken rice, rice bran and fish meal. The feed was prepared freshly for every meal with 3 litres of water being added to the mixture before feeding. The pigs were fed three times per days, the amounts of feed being adjusted so that there were no refusals.  The pigs were de-wormed and vaccinated before starting the trial.

 

Data collection

 

The pigs were weighed at the start, once each month and on finishing the trial,  using a 100 kg capacity portable scale with accuracy of 0.5 kg. Feed intake was recorded for every week, using a 12 kg capacity portable scale.

 

Chemical analysis

Feed samples were analysed in duplicate for dry matter (DM), crude protein (CP), ash, and ether extract (EE) according to the standard procedure of AOAC (1984).  

Statistical analysis

All data were analysed by analysis of variance using the General Linear Model of the Minitab (version 13) software (Ryan et al 2000). Sources of variation were treatments and error. If the treatment effect was significant at P<0.05, differences between means were tested with the Tukey procedure of the Minitab software.

Results and discussion

 

On-station trial

 

Feed DM intakes and growth rates were reduced as the dietary levels of brewery waste were increased, with the effect being more marked in the finishing phase (Table 4). Contrasting  results were obtained for feed DM conversion, with apparently better conversion  on the diets with brewery waste in the growing phase, but poorer conversion on these diets in the finishing phase.

Two factors are likely to have contributed to the poorer performance with brewery waste; the high fibre content of this feed and the lower digestibility and inferior amino acid balance compared with fish meal. Ngodigha et al (1994) also found that increasing the level of brewery waste led to poorer live weight gain and and feed conversion in pigs; while Ong et al (1987) and Ugye et al (1988) reported that the digestibility of DM,  crude fibre and crude protein were significantly reduced with increasing levels of brewers' dried grains in the diet.

 

Economic analysis

 

The feed cost of the finishing pigs was reduced with increasing levels of brewery waste (Table 5), as the brewery waste was much cheaper than the fish meal.  However, this advantage was offset by the poorer performance on the diets with brewery waste, thus there was little difference between the margin over feed cost between the control diet and that with 30% replacement of the fish meal protein by brewery waste, while with higher levels of the brewery waste the margin over feed was less than on the control diet. 

 

 

 

 On-farm trial

 

Performance of the pigs was very good in all the households,  with no apparent difference between the control diet and the diet with 30% replacement of fish meal protein by the brewery waste (Table 6).

 

 

 

Conclusions 

In diets for fattening pigs, based on broken rice, rice bran and fish meal, brewery waste can replace 30% of the fish meal on  a protein basis, without affecting performance.

 

Acknowledgements

This research was partially financed by the bilateral SAREC project 2000-2002.

 

References

 

AOAC 1984 Official Methods of Analysis.  Association of Official Analytical Chemists, Washington DC.

 

Göhl B 1984 Tropical Feeds. FAO,  Rome. http://www.fao.org/ag/AGA/AGAP/FRG/afris/default.htm

Luu Huu Manh, Tran Chi Binh, Nguyen Nhut Xuan Dung and Bui Phan Thu Hang  2000 Composition and nutritive value of rice distillers’ by-product (hem) for small-holder pig production. Sustainable Livestock Production on Local Feed Resources. Proceedings National Seminar- Workshop. UAF, SIDA-SAREC.  http://www.mekarn.org/sarec2000/manh.htm

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Nguyen Thanh Phi Long.1996 A study of utilizing of food processing by-products for smallholder farmers in the Mekong delta. Graduate thesis. Agricultural College. Cantho University. (In Vietnamese).

 

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Ong H K and Hutagalung R I 1987 Effects of fibre on the quality of pig diet. Quality in livestock production. Proceedings of the Ninth Annual Conference of the Malaysian Society of Animal Production

 

Ugye B, Anugwa F O I and Nwosu C C 1988 Effects of varying levels of dietary dried brewers' grains on performance and carcass characteristics of growing pigs. Bulletin of Animal Health and Production in Africa.