Volume 54 Issue 5 (May 2020) 573 Effect of dietary copper levels on the growth performance and nutrient utilization in fattening pigs Seidu Adams 1 , Meng Hongjiao 1 , Dongsheng Che 1 , Jiang Hailong 1 , Han Rui 1 , Zhao Bao 1 , Kofi Danquah 2 , Qin Guixin 1 10.18805/ijar.B-956 INTRODUCTION Copper is an indispensable cofactor of enzymatic and non- enzymatic copper-dependent proteins that are required for mitochondrial respiration, neurotransmitter synthesis, peptide amidation, connective tissue formation, pigmentation and iron metabolism, but due to its high toxicity when present in excessive amount, there is the need for subtle homeostatic balance of copper within cells (Yang et al. 2011). The growth stimulating effect of high copper concentrations is mainly observed in young pigs and its mode of action has been described by the antibacterial effects of high copper diets, making available more nutrients and energy in the gut for absorption (Blaabjerg and Poulsen 2017). A previous study has demonstrated the relationship between high dietary copper concentrations and improved growth performance in growing pigs (Feng et al. 2007). However, feeding high copper diets in growing pigs may result in the increased in copper accumulation in organs and excretion in manure, which poses both health and environmental risk (Kornegay and Verstegen 2001). Therefore, the present study examined the effects of dietary copper supplementation on the growth performance, nutrient digestibility, copper absorption and deposition in fattening pigs. MATERIALS AND METHODS A total of 24 (Landrace X Large White X Duroc) pigs with an average initial BW of 30±1.05 kg were selected for the current experiment. The experiment was conducted for 87 days, including 7 days of pre-feeding trial. The pigs were divided into four treatment groups, with three replicates per treatment and two pigs per replicate, arranged in accordance with a completely randomized design based on their BW. The pigs were housed individually in an environmentally- controlled room with an average temperature of 26C. The houses were disinfected once a month, cleaned with a broom every day to keep a healthy and hygienic condition and prevent disease infection. The copper content in the treatments was adjusted based on the guidelines that stipulated that the diet of fattening pigs with live body weight between 30-60 kg should contain  150 mg/kg copper and body weight above 60 kg should contain  25mg/kg copper. The control pigs were fed the basal diet and the experimental pigs were fed the basal diet with different copper concentrations. The diet was provided in a mash form and formulated in accordance to the NRC, (2012) nutrients requirement (Table 1). The pigs were fed in two different growth phases 30-60 kg BW and 60-120 kg BW. Pigs in the growing phase (30-60 kg) were fed the basal diet with added copper levels of 10 mg/kg (control), 45 mg/kg (group 1), 135 mg/kg (group 2) and 225 mg/kg (group 3) copper and the fattening / porkers (60-120 kg) pigs were fed the basal diet with added copper levels of 45 mg/kg, 135 mg/kg and RESEARCH ARTICLE Indian Journal of Animal Research, Volume 54 Issue 5: 573-577 (May 2020) ABSTRACT The present study was conducted to investigate the effect of dietary copper supplementation on the growth performance, nutrient digestibility and copper metabolism in fattening pigs. A total of 24 pigs (Landrace X Large White X Duroc) with an average initial BW of 30±1.05 kg, the pigs were divided into four treatment groups, with three replicates per treatment and two pigs per replicate, in accordance with a completely randomized design based on the BW. The results indicated that dietary copper supplementation increased the growth performance, CP and EE digestibility. However, there was no significant increase in the DM and OM digestibility. In addition, copper deposition increased with the increase in dietary copper supplementation, while copper absorption, increased with the decrease in dietary copper levels. In conclusion, fattening pigs with 30-60 kg BW can utilize 45-135 mg/kg Cu and porkers at BW of 60-120 kg can also utilize 10-45 mg/kg Cu as CuSO4 for an increased copper utilization and a decreased in copper deposition. Key words: Copper, Digestibility, Metabolism, Performance, Pig. 1 College of Animal Science and Technology, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun, China, 130 118. 2 School of Allied Health Sciences, Department of Nutritional Sciences, University for Development Studies, Ghana 1350. Corresponding Author: Dongsheng Che, College of Animal Science and Technology, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun, China, 130 118. Email: chedongsheng@163.com How to cite this article: Adams, S., Hongjiao, M., Che, D., Hailong, J., Rui, H., Bao, Z., Danquah, K. and GuixinIndian, Q. (2020). Effect of dietary copper levels on the growth performance and nutrient utilization in fattening pigs. Indian Journal of Animal Research. 54(5): 573-577. Submitted: 23-03-2018 Accepted: 14-07-2018 Published: 20-09-2018