An animal's rate of protein accretion (or nitrogen retention) is determined by the most deficient (or first limiting) amino acid in the diet, in a perfectly balanced (or ideal) protein all essential amino acids and the sum of the non-essential amino acids are equally limiting. If a dietary protein had any amino acids in excess of the ideal pattern, then the removal of any of the excess should not affect nitrogen retention. This principle was used to determine the ideal dietary amino acid pattern for growing pigs.

Three nitrogen balance trials were carried out with a total of 64 gilts of weight from 30 to 55 kg. Casein and a mixture of amino acids were used in the semi-purified diets. The animals were given the diets at the rate of 93 g/kg BW0.75/d in three equal meals mixed with 0.3 L water. The feeding times were 08.30, 12.30 and 17.30. All pigs received their experimental diets for 7 days, made up of 3 days preliminary and a 4-day collection, except that the preliminary period before the first collection in the first period was 7 days. Before the first collection bladder catheters were introduced.