Table 4.

Bone mineralization, stomach pH, and serum metabolites at d 15 and feces evaluation from phase 1 of pigs fed diets formulated with adequate or deficient levels of Ca and P (Ca-P) without microbial phytase or with 2,000 phytase units/kg of feed (FTU)¹

	Ca and P levels		Phytase, FTU			P-value
Item	Adequate	Deficient	0	2,000	SEM	Ca-P	Phytase
Bone mineralization2
Ash, g	4.92	3.92	4.36	4.48	0.92	0.017	0.771
Ash, %	53.0	49.9	51.9	51.0	0.43	< 0.001	0.147
Stomach pH3
In situ	2.73	2.67	2.86	2.53	0.26	0.868	0.377
Ex situ	2.90	2.95	3.21	2.64	0.20	0.864	0.058
Average	2.88	2.81	3.10	2.59	0.18	0.788	0.053
Fecal evaluation2
Fecal score	1.88	1.82	1.99	1.71	0.10	0.667	0.060
Diarrhea frequency,4 %	25.8	22.7	30.5	18.0	5.04	0.664	0.090
Serum metabolites
BUN,5,6 mg/dL	14.0	13.8	13.9	13.8	0.92	0.850	0.923
Total protein5, g/dL	4.31	4.06	4.18	4.18	0.09	0.052	0.997
Albumin2, g/dL	2.51	2.29	2.43	2.38	0.06	0.012	0.533

¹Data are shown as main effects because the interaction between concentrations of Ca and P and phytase inclusion was not significant (P > 0.05).

²Data are least squares means of 16 observations.

³Data are least squares means of 13 to 16 observations.

⁴Diarrhea frequency = number of days with fecal score ≥ 3 ÷ total number of days × 100.

⁵Data are least squares means of 15 or 16 observations.

⁶BUN = blood urea nitrogen.