New research from the University of Illinois suggests that adding an emulsifier to growing-pig diets may improve dietary energy utilization and potentially allow pigs fed lower levels of added fat to achieve growth performance similar to pigs receiving higher-fat diets.
The research, conducted by Victor G. Perez, Su A. Lee and Hans H. Stein, evaluated the effects of LYSOFORTE®, an emulsifier from Kemin Industries, and choice white grease on nutrient digestibility, metabolizable energy and growth performance in growing pigs.
Results were published in the Journal of Animal Science as part of the 2026 American Society of Animal Science Midwest Section Meeting oral abstracts.
The findings are particularly relevant as pork producers and nutritionists continue looking for opportunities to improve feed efficiency and capture more nutritional value from increasingly expensive diet formulations.
Testing Whether an Emulsifier Can Improve Energy Utilization
The researchers conducted two experiments.
The first examined whether an emulsifier and different levels of choice white grease could independently improve the apparent total tract digestibility of dry matter and gross energy, as well as the metabolizable energy content of diets.
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