Predicting the nutritional quality of feed ingredients for pigs using near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) and chemical analysis

Capacity to routinely, accurately and cost-effectively measure variation in the nutritional quality of feed ingredients before diet formulation represents a fundamental pillar of sustainable pork production worldwide. Factors driving sustainable pork production include pork price, feed cost, utilisation of co-products and downgraded raw materials and variation in pork production, with all being related to the definition and ultimate nutritional quality of feed ingredients. The present paper defines rapid measures of nutritional quality in feed ingredients for pigs and demonstrates the range that can exist in these parameters, specifically digestible energy of cereal grains and the reactive-lysine concentration of oilseed meals. It provides an overview of the development of near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) calibrations for key nutritional-quality parameters and how they are being applied by the pork industry. Adjunct ways to measure nutritional quality of feed ingredients for pigs such as the glucose-release index and how these can be used in conjunction with NIRS are reviewed. The paper reports advanced correlation analysis between chemical components and digestible-energy concentration of cereals, and how these could be used for screening of NIRS outliers, and discusses future opportunities for application of nutritional-quality analysis using NIRS calibrations, including feed intake and portable solutions. Using advanced NIRS calibrations for digestible energy in cereals and reactive lysine in oilseed meals, pork producers will ensure that they make best use of limited resources and, as a consequence, pork will remain a nutritionally accretive food source for increasingly discerning consumers worldwide.