Over Seven Thousand Hours of Pig Digestion

Alltech’s True Check simulates over 7,200 hours of pig digestion

With new NIR (Near Infrared Spectrometer) capabilities, Alltech’s True CheckTM in vitro screening has replicated more than 7,200 hours of pig digestion. After a pig snacks on a bite of feed, it takes roughly 24 hours for it to make its way through their digestive system. Why would we be replicating this in the lab? Because each bite of feed that isn’t digested, is less profit for the producer.

Feed costs have been dropping over the past year, but that doesn’t mean that it still isn’t costly for producers. It takes roughly 700 pounds (lbs.) of feed to get a pig to the market weight of 290 lbs. It takes approximately 2.6 lbs of feed for each pound of live weight gain, so if a producer has 1,000 pigs, that means up to 700,000 lbs. of feed is required. Thus it is important for the producer to make sure that each bite of feed gets digested efficiently.

True Check is a unique tool developed by Alltech to help producers see how effective their feed is at providing nutrients for digestion. Utilizing samples of feed, True Check uses a system that mimics real life conditions of the pig’s digestive system. After simulation, samples are compared to show the energy and nutrient release, giving producers the results they can expect from their pigs’ diet. The new NIR capabilities can provide an analysis of each component (protein, gross energy, phosphorus) on a separate model allowing the producer to evaluate the diet’s performance with and without Alltech’s solutions for feed efficiency.

Learn more about True Check or Alltech’s solutions for feed efficiency by contacting your local Alltech representative at Alltech.com.