Determination of the net energy content of canola meal from B rassica napus yellow and B rassica juncea yellow fed to growing pigs using indirect calorimetry

The net energy ( NE ) content of canola meals ( CM ; i.e. B rassica napus yellow and B rassica juncea yellow) in growing pigs was determined using an indirect calorimetry chamber or published prediction equations. The study was conducted as a completely randomized design ( n  = 6), with (i) a basal diet and (ii) 2 diets containing 700 g/kg of the basal diet and 300 g/kg of either of the two varieties of CM . A total of 18 growing barrows were housed in metabolism crates for the determination of digestible ( DE ) and metabolizable ( ME ) energy. Thereafter, pigs were transferred to the indirect calorimetry chamber to determine heat production ( HP ). The NE contents of diets containing B rassica napus yellow and B rassica juncea yellow determined with the direct determination technique and prediction equations were 9.8 versus 10.3 MJ /kg dry matter ( DM ) and 10.2 versus 10.4 MJ /kg DM , respectively. Retained energy ( RE ) and fasting heat production ( FHP ) of diets containing B rassica napus yellow and B rassica juncea yellow were 5.5 versus 5.7 MJ /kg and 4.3 versus 4.5 MJ /kg, respectively, when measured with the direct determination technique and prediction equations. The NE contents of B rassica napus yellow and B rassica juncea yellow were determined to be 8.8 and 9.8 MJ /kg DM , respectively, using the direct determination technique.