Corn distillers dried grains with solubles: nutrient analysis, metabolizable energy, and amino acid digestibility in broilers

Abstract

Summary: Corn dried distillers' grains with solubles (DDGS) are an important ingredient for poultry feeds. The efficiency of producing ethanol has improved affecting its nutrient composition; for example, improvement of the extraction of fat; the use of enzymes to degrade most of the starch could be adding more variability between DDGS suppliers. Therefore, regular analysis of DDGS is imperative. In the present study, 8 suppliers of the US ethanol industry provided samples of DDGS to perform various analysis including proximate analysis, starch, sugars, mineral analysis, AMEn, apparent ileal amino acid digestibility (AIAD), and standardized ileal amino acid digestibility (SIAD), particle size, and color. Proximate analysis was evaluated by 4 different laboratories where CP and ash showed the lowest variability compared with crude fat and crude fiber variability between laboratories. The results are provided at 88% DM, CP averaged 27.5% (25.6–29.9%), crude fat 9% (4.8–11.2%), starch 1.3% (0–6.4%). Particle size was quite variable with an average of 895 um (462–1,529 um). For the color evaluation, the CV (%) between DDGS was 9% for lightness, 14% for redness, and 10% for yellowness. The average AMEn was 2,169 (2,017–2,278 kcal/kg) (88%DM). Differences in AIAD and SIAD of amino acids are provided. Apparent ileal amino acid digestibility of lysine was 69% (65.5–71%); SIAD of lysine was 73% (70–75%); AIAD M + C was 78% (73–80%), and SIAD M + C was 81% (76–83%), the rest of essential and nonessential amino acids are presented in this article.

Keywords

• DDGS
• broiler
• energy
• amino acid
• nutrients
• color