Developing Equations for Converting Digestible Energy to Metabolizable Energy for Korean Hanwoo Beef Cattle

Abstract

This study was performed to update and generate prediction equations for converting digestible energy (DE) to metabolizable energy (ME) for Korean Hanwoo beef cattle, taking into consideration the gender (male and female) and body weights (BW above and below 350 kg) of the animals. The data consisted of 141 measurements from respiratory chambers with a wide range of diets and energy intake levels. A simple linear regression of the overall unadjusted data suggested a strong relationship between the DE and ME (Mcal/kg DM): ME = 0.8722 × DE + 0.0016 (coefficient of determination (R2) = 0.946, root mean square error (RMSE) = 0.107, p 2 = 0.999, RMSE = 0.004, p 2 = 0.9600, RMSE = 0.083, p 2 = 0.971, RMSE = 0.070, p 2 = 0.991, RMSE = 0.055, p 2 = 0.913, RMSE = 0.100, p < 0.001 for the intercept and slope), respectively. A multiple regression using the DE and dietary factors as independent variables did not improve the accuracy of the ME prediction (ME = 1.149 × DE − 0.045 × crude protein + 0.011 × neutral detergent fibre − 0.027 × acid detergent fibre + 0.683).

Keywords

• beef cattle
• digestible energy
• metabolizable energy
• mixed model