Table 1.
The ingredients and proximate composition of the experimental diets.
| Item | DCA0 | DCA3.75 | DCA7.50 | DCA11.25 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ingredients, g/kg | ||||
| Casein1 | 336.0 | 336.0 | 336.0 | 336.0 |
| Gelatin2 | 84.0 | 84.0 | 84.0 | 84.0 |
| Soybean oil3 | 70.0 | 70.0 | 70.0 | 70.0 |
| Corn starch4 | 450.0 | 450.0 | 450.0 | 450.0 |
| Vitamin premix5 | 10.0 | 10.0 | 10.0 | 10.0 |
| Mineral premix6 | 10.0 | 10.0 | 10.0 | 10.0 |
| Ca(H2PO4)27 | 7.75 | 7.75 | 7.75 | 7.75 |
| Carboxy methyl cellulose8 | 26.0 | 26.0 | 26.0 | 26.0 |
| Choline chloride9 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 |
| Dimethyl-β-propiothetin10 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| Butylated hydroxytoluene11 | 0.25 | 0.25 | 0.25 | 0.25 |
| Dichloroacetate (DCA)12 | 0.00 | 3.75 | 7.50 | 11.25 |
| Total | 1,000 | 1,000 | 1,000 | 1,000 |
| Proximate composition, % dry matter basis | ||||
| Dry matter | 92.37 | 92.44 | 92.71 | 92.33 |
| Protein | 37.95 | 37.89 | 37.96 | 38.03 |
| Lipid | 6.99 | 6.85 | 6.98 | 6.83 |
| Ash | 3.31 | 3.21 | 3.22 | 3.30 |
| Nitrogen-free extract13 | 44.12 | 44.49 | 44.55 | 44.17 |
| Available energy14, MJ/kg | 16.43 | 16.40 | 16.40 | 16.46 |
| DCA12, g/kg | – | 3.02 | 6.88 | 10.88 |
Casein: Wan Ling, Changzhou Linghao Biotechnology Co., Ltd., Jiangsu, China.
Gelatin: Sangon Biotech (Shanghai) Co., Ltd., China.
Soybean oil: Arawana Brand, Yihai Kerry Investments Co., Ltd., Hubei, China.
Corn starch: Shijiazhuang Tangtian starch Co., Ltd., Hebei, China.
Vitamin premix provided the following per kilogram of diet: 500,000 IU vitamin A, 50,000 IU vitamin D3, 2,500 mg vitamin E, 1,000 mg vitamin K3, 5,000 mg vitamin B1, 5,000 mg vitamin B2, 5,000 mg vitamin B6, 5,000 mg vitamin B12, 25,000 mg inositol, 10,000 mg pantothenic acid, 100,000 mg cholin, 25,000 mg niacin, 1,000 mg folic acid, 250 mg biotin, 10,000 mg vitamin C.
Mineral premix provided the following per kilogram of diet: 147.4 g MgSO4·7H2O, 49.8 g NaCl, 10.9 g Fe (II) gluconate, 3.12 g MnSO4·H2O, 4.67 g ZnSO4·7H2O, 0.62 g CuSO4·5H2O, 0.16 g KI, 0.08 g CoCl2·6H2O, 0.06 g NH4 molybdate, 0.02 g NaSeO3.
Ca(H2PO4)2: Sangon Biotech (Shanghai) Co., Ltd., China.
Carboxy methyl cellulose: Shandong Dongda Commerce Co., Ltd., China.
Choline chloride: Sangon Biotech (Shanghai) Co., Ltd., China.
Dimethyl-β-propiothetin: Sangon Biotech (Shanghai) Co., Ltd., China.
Butylated hydroxytoluene: Sangon Biotech (Shanghai) Co., Ltd., China.
Dichloroacetate (DCA): Aladdin Biotech (Shanghai) Co., Ltd., China. The actual DCA concentrations were determined by high-performance liquid chromatography.
Calculated as 100 - (moisture + protein + lipid + ash).
Based on 16.7 MJ/kg protein, 37.6 MJ/kg lipid and 16.7 MJ/kg nitrogen-free extract (NFE).