Fermentation of soybean meal and its inclusion in diets for newly weaned pigs reduced diarrhea and measures of immunoreactivity in the plasma

A 2-week experiment was conducted to detect antigenic soy proteins in plasma of pigs fed soybean meal (SBM) and fermented soybean meal (FSBM). The suitability of a commercial FSBM to replace SBM in diets for newly weaned pig was also evaluated. A total of 160 pigs were randomly assigned to 5 dietary treatments (n = 8): 400 g/kg soybean meal (FSBM-0), its replacement by protein from fermented soybean meal as 1/3 (FSBM-1), 2/3 (FSBM-2), 3/3 (FSBM-3), and no soy protein in diet (PCON). Diets were fed at weaning, but feed intake (ADFI) and weight gain (ADG) record began after 3 days. Overall, pigs fed PCON had greater (P<0.001) performance and less diarrhea than pigs fed soy proteins. Pigs fed diets with FSBM had less (P