Pantothenic Acid Requirement of Young Swine

Three hundred thirty-four pigs were used in six experiments conducted in an attempt to define more precisely the pantothenic acid requirement of young swine fed diets based on corn and soybean meal, heat-treated soy-bean meal or isolated soy protein (C-l assay protein) during the period from 3 to 8 to 9 wk. of age. Microbiological assay of ingredients and basal diets demonstrated the latter to contain 4.26 to 8.09 mg. of the vitamin/kg., 32 to 61% of the commonly accepted requirement. Neither rate nor efficiency of gain was significantly improved due to supplementation of the basal diets with calcium pantothenate. There was no evidence of pantothenic acid deficiency. The results of these experiments indicate that the minimum requirement of the young pig for pantothenic acid is less than 13.2 mg./kg. of diet. The inability to demonstrate improved rate and efficiency of gain due to pantothenic acid supplementation of the basal diets, or to demonstrate deficiency symptoms when the unsupplemented diets were fed, supports the suggestion that it is not necessary to add pantothenic acid to 18% protein corn-soybean meal diets containing adequate amounts of other vitamins and minerals, and an effective antibiotic, and fed to 6.5 kg. pigs.