Interpretive Summary: Effects of adding potassium bicarbonate to diets with high or low crystalline lysine to influence dietary cation–anion difference on finishing pig growth performance

By: Rafe Q Royall, Robert D Goodband, Mike D Tokach, Joel M DeRouchey, Jason C Woodworth, Jordan T Gebhardt

Potassium, fed as potassium bicarbonate (KHCO₃) in this study, is essential for swine and is a key component of numerous physiological processes such as the maintenance of electrolyte balance, neuromuscular function. Feeding high levels of chloride anions, via crystalline lysine (L-Lys HCl) has been shown to negatively impact intake and growth performance of pigs. Additionally, potassium and chlorine are components in calculating dietary cation–anion difference (DCAD; Na+ + K+ - Cl− in mEq/kg of diet), which represents the influence of monovalent ions on the acid-base status of the animal. The objective of this research was to determine the impacts of varying DCAD levels within diets on finishing pig growth performance and carcass characteristics. In this experiment, there were no interactions between KHCO₃ inclusion and L-Lys HCl level, nor did either ingredient affect growth performance or carcass characteristics.