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Title: PREDICTION OF THE IN VIVO BODY COMPOSITION OF PIGS BASED ON CROSS-SECTIONAL REGION ANALYSIS OF DUAL ENERGY X-RAY ABSORPTIOMETRY (DXA) SCANS

Author
item Mitchell, Alva
item SCHOLZ, A. - UNIVERSITY MUNICH
item PURSEL, VERNON - ARS, RETIRED

Submitted to: Archives of Animal Breeding
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 9/24/2002
Publication Date: 12/1/2002
Citation: Mitchell, A.D., Scholz, A.M., Pursel, V.G. 2002. Prediction of the in vivo body composition of pigs based on cross-sectional region analysis of dual energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) scans. Archives of Animal Breeding. 45(6):5-545.

Interpretive Summary: Dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) was used to measure body composition by performing a total body scan of 212 live pigs. The DXA scans were analyzed for percentage fat and lean in the total body and in 14 cross-sections. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the use of a cross-sectional scan as an alternative to the total body DXA scan for predicting the body composition of pigs in vivo. The implication of these results is that DXA could possibly be adapted whereby pigs could be scanned with minimal restraint and resulting in a cross-sectional sample that could be used to predict total body composition. In all of the scans analyzed in this study the pig was in a prone position with the legs extended parallel to the body. Thus, analysis based on a cross-sectional scan obtained with the pig in a standing position would likely require additional calibration.

Technical Abstract: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the use of a cross-sectional scan as an alternative to the total body DXA scan for predicting the body composition of pigs in vivo. A total of 212 pigs (56 to 138 kg live body weight) were scanned by DXA. The DXA scans were analyzed for percentage fat and lean in the total body and in 14 cross-sections (57.6 mm wide): 5 in the front leg/thoracic region, 4 in the abdominal region, and 5 in the back leg region. Regression analysis was used to compare total body and cross-sectional DXA results and chemical analysis of total body fat, protein and water. The relation (R2) between the percentage fat in individual slices and the percentage of total body fat measured by DXA ranged from 0.78 to 0.97 and by chemical analysis from 0.71 to 0.85, respectively. The relation between the percentage of lean in the individual slices and chemical analysis for percentage of total body protein and water ranged from 0.48 to 0.60 and 0.56 to 0.76, respectively. These results indicate that total body composition of the pig can be predicted (accurately) by performing a time-saving single-pass cross-sectional scan.