Korean Journal of Agricultural Science ISSN:2466-2402(Print) 2466-2410(Online) 농업과학연구

A total of 100 growing pigs (25.66 ± 1.55 kg) were used in a 16-week feeding trial. Pigs were randomly distributed into two treatment groups on the basis of body weight and sex. There were ten replicate pens per treatment, with five pigs (three barrows and two gilts) per pen. The dietary treatments for this trial were as follows: 1) Basal diet (CON) and 2) T1 (γ-aminobutyric acid, GABA), CON + 100 mg·kg-1 GABA. During weeks 0 to 6, the feed efficiency (G : F) in the T1 group was higher (p < 0.05) than that in the CON group, but no improvements in the average daily feed intake (ADFI) and average daily gain (ADG) were noted (p > 0.05). During the experimental period, the final body weight (BW) was improved (p < 0.05). However, no differences (p > 0.05) were noted in the apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD) of dry matter (DM) nitrogen (N). Meanwhile, there were no significant differences (p > 0.05) observed in the backfat thickness among the treatment groups. These results therefore indicate that supplementation with GABA may improve the overall growth performance but may not lead to differences in the nutrient digestibility and backfat thickness in growing-finishing pigs.