Forty barrows from commercial hybrids averaging initial weight of 60.1 ± 1.3 kg were used in a trial to evaluate different ME levels, maintaining the digestible lysine:calorie ratio, on the performance and carcass characteristics. A randomized block experimental design with four treatments, five replicate and two animals per experimental unit was used. The treatments consisted of four ME levels (3,100, 3,230, 3,370, and 3,500 kcal/kg) with 2.41 g of digestible lysine/Mcal of EM ratio. Animals were fed until the end of the experimental period, when the animals reached 95.46 ± 2.89 kg. It was observed linear effect of treatments on feed intake. Feed:gain ratio increased linearly as the ME levels increased. There was no treatment effect on energy efficiency, weight gain, carcass yield, backfat thickness and lean meat yield. It was concluded that increasing ME levels (3,100 to 3,500 kcal/kg, maintaining the dietary digestible lysine:calorie ratio of barrows, increase feed:gain ratio and decrease feed intake with no effect on weight gain and carcass characteristics.
carcass; energy density; finishing phase; genotype
