Table 1.
Phenotypic records obtained from animals divergent in feed efficiency (FE; measured by residual feed intake) at day 140 of life.
| Item | Unit | High-FE (Mean ± SE) | Low-FE (Mean ± SE) | p-Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Performance (n = 24) | ||||
| Body weight | kg | 94.96 ± 2.14 | 91.13 ± 3.56 | 0.311 |
| ADG (day 70–day 140) | kg/d | 0.98 ± 0.02 | 0.94 ± 0.04 | 0.653 |
| ADFI (day 70–day 140) | kg/d | 1.90 ± 0.04 | 2.25 ± 0.06 | <0.001 |
| FCR (day 70–day 140) | kg/kg | 1.94 ± 0.03 | 2.40 ± 0.06 | <0.001 |
| RFI | kg | −0.20 ± 0.02 | 0.21 ± 0.03 | <0.001 |
| Backfat | mm | 4.78 ± 0.23 | 4.78 ± 0.31 | 0.650 |
| Liver weight | kg | 1.82 ± 0.08 | 1.65 ± 0.08 | 0.028 |
| Blood parameters (n = 24) | ||||
| Albumin | g/dL | 4.52 ± 0.11 | 4.24 ± 0.11 | 0.181 |
| Glucose | mg/dL | 145.67 ± 29.26 | 110.25 ± 12.05 | 0.183 |
| GGT | U/L | 49.83 ± 5.74 | 47.25 ± 3.99 | 0.600 |
| GPT | U/L | 41.50 ± 1.89 | 37.58 ± 2.07 | 0.175 |
| GOT | U/L | 49.08 ± 4.59 | 41.50 ± 3.39 | 0.175 |
| Urea | mg/dL | 10.89 ± 0.97 | 10.37 ± 0.44 | 0.155 |
| LDH | U/L | 179.42 ± 15.41 | 165.00 ± 15.19 | 0.408 |
| Triglyceride | mg/dL | 39.92 ± 5.58 | 24.75 ± 3.66 | 0.001 |
| Total cholesterol | mg/dL | 107.92 ± 5.45 | 107.83 ± 6.81 | 0.739 |
| Total protein | g/dL | 6.44 ± 0.11 | 6.56 ± 0.18 | 0.916 |
| Amylase | U/L | 828.17 ± 55.49 | 805.92 ± 55.36 | 0.553 |
| Lipase | U/L | 51.75 ± 7.05 | 50.08 ± 6.76 | 0.859 |
| Hormones (n = 12) | ||||
| Triiodothyronine (T3) | ng/mL | 0.59 ± 0.09 | 0.47 ± 0.06 | 0.269 |
| Thyroxine (T4) | ng/mL | 15.62 ± 1.60 | 15.67 ± 2.70 | 0.262 |
Associations exceeding significance threshold (p < 0.05) are highlighted in bold. ADG: average daily gain; ADFI: average daily feed intake; FCR: feed conversion ratio; RFI: residual feed intake; GGT: gamma-glutamyl transferase; GPT: glutamate pyruvate transaminase; GOT: glutamate oxaloacetate transaminase; LDH: lactate dehydrogenase.