It is proving difficult to establish reliable net energy (NE) values for soybean meal (SBM). In a previous article, we presented NE estimates that we consider to be the minimum for growing pigs (Boyd et al., 2023). They are based on recent animal growth and calorimetry assays and exceed values provided by 4 international ingredient composition tables by 8-15%. There also appears to be a difference in SBM NE values determined in academic facilities with strict environmental control and those derived in commercial settings. Academic facilities lack pathogen (type, density) and (or) environmental stressors that are encountered in commercial barns housing 1000 or more pigs per room. We believe that this apparent conflict in NE estimates between environments is explainable by the health-promoting molecules of SBM.

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