Calcium chloride reduces the negative impact of feeding high potassium and co-product containing diets to finishing pigs

The negative impact of high potassium in finishing diets may be reduced by the dietary calcium chloride supplementation.

Co-products from the biofuel and human food industries may serve as alternative pig feed ingredients. Previously, we observed a reduction in animal performance when pigs were liquid-fed high potassium (K) diets containing corn steep water (CSW) and whey permeate (WP). This study was conducted to investigate the addition of calcium chloride (CaCl₂) to pig diets to reduce the negative impact of feeding high K levels. A total of 192 purebred Yorkshire pigs (average initial BW 45.5 kg; 4 gilts and 4 barrows per pen) were liquid-fed 1 of 6 diets over a 9 week period: (1) CSBM (Corn and soybean meal based diet with added 0.9% potassium carbonate; 0.98% K); (2) CSBM/CaCl₂-mEq (CSBM with added 0.84% CaCl2); (3) CSBM/CaCl₂ (CSBM diet with added 1.05% CaCl₂); (4) Co-prod (22% WP, 6% CSW, 1.28% K); (5) Co-prod/ CaCl₂-mEq (Co-prod diet with added 0.87% CaCl₂); (6) Co-prod/CaCl₂ (Co-prod diet with added 0.68% CaCl₂). Diets 2 and 5 were formulated to an electrolyte balance of 166 mEq/kg; diets 3 and 6 were designed to maintain a target balance between K and Cl. Data were exposed to analyses of variance using GLM of SAS with treatment as the only source of variation; treatment means were compared using orthogonal contrasts.

Diet did not influence feed intake (P > 0.05). For CSBM, adding CaCl₂ at both levels improved feed to gain (2.36 vs 2.57; P < 0.01); such response was not seen for Co-prod (P > 0.10). Hot carcass weight and carcass lean yield did not differ among treatments (P > 0.05). For Co-prod, adding CaCl₂ reduced plasma carbon dioxide levels (P < 0.01). Based on quantitative histology observations, the addition of CaCl₂ to Co-prod eliminated damage to walls of glomeruli capillaries.

Optimal CaCl₂ additions to high K diets are still to be confirmed. These results suggest that some of the negative effects of feeding high K coproduct containing diets to pigs can be reduced, reducing the reliance on traditional feed ingredients for pigs.

J Guimaraes, CL Zhu, D Wey, and CFM de Lange, 2010. Journal of Animal Science, 88 (E-Suppl. 2):379.

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Calcium chloride reduces the negative impact of feeding high potassium and co-product containing diets to finishing pigs

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