Essential amino acids supplementation in low-protein diets for piglets: Review

Abstract

In swine, the development of animal nutrition and a better understanding of protein metabolism makes it possible to optimize diets that meet nutritional requirements in protein and amino acids with a lower environmental impact. Proteins are essential nutrients that exhibit a variety of biological functions, participating primarily in muscle deposition, aiding in hormonal regulation and obtaining energy, and overeating or deficiencies of these can be reflected in plasma concentrations of variables such as urea, total proteins And creatinine which are considered good indicators to analyze the process of degradation of amino acids in the body. At present, the formulation of rations with an ideal profile of amino acids in addition to decreasing the nitrogen excretion allows to reduce the percentage of crude protein without affecting the performance variables of zootechnical importance. The objective of this review is to contribute to a better knowledge and understanding of the importance of essential amino acids in pig feed.