Nontargeted LC-MS Metabolomics Approach for Metabolic Profiling of Plasma and Urine from Pigs Fed Branched Chain Amino Acids for Maximum Growth Performance.

The metabolic response in plasma and urine of pigs when feeding an optimum level of branched chain amino acids (BCAAs) for best growth performance is unknown. The objective of the current study was to identify the metabolic phenotype associated with the BCAAs intake level that could be linked to the animal growth performance. Three dose-response studies were carried out to collect blood and urine samples from pigs fed increasing levels of Ile, Val, or Leu followed by a nontargeted LC-MS approach to characterize the metabolic profile of biofluids when dietary BCAAs are optimum for animal growth.