Use of rotative-roll-dried or spray dried sugar cane yeast in the feeding of piglets in the initial phase

Abstract

A trial was undertaken using 144 male and female half-breed piglets (15.9 kg), with the objective to evaluate nutritionally and economically sugar cane yeast (Saccharomyces sp.), dried by spray-dryer (SCYSD) or by rotative roll dryer (SCYRD). The experimental design was of randomized blocks, with four treatments, in a 2x2 factorial scheme, using two inclusion levels of yeast in meal diets (7 and 14%) and two yeast drying processes (SCYSD or SCYRD), with four replications and nine animals per experimental unit. There were no effects of yeast inclusion in diets on feed intake and daily weight gain, nevertheless the 7% inclusion level provided an improvement in feed conversion and reduction in diet cost per kilogram of live weight gain. The drying process reduced the diet cost per kilogram of live weight gain when the piglets consumed diets containing SCYRD. The 7% inclusion level of yeast in diets provided a decrease in intake per kilogram of live weight gain of digestible energy, lysine and methionine+cystine.