Which components are included in net energy (NE)?

• A. NEm and NEp
• B. Gross energy and digestible energy
• C. Metabolizable energy and net energy
• D. NE includes only NEp

Answer: (A)

Net energy is the portion of dietary energy that remains after losses such as heat production, urine, and gases, and it’s the energy available for maintenance and production. It’s split into energy required for maintenance (NEm) and energy available for production (NEp). Therefore, NE is composed of NEm and NEp, which is why this option best fits.

Think of it as the energy left after the body wastes some heat and other losses, with part of that energy supporting keeping the body running (maintenance) and part available to fuel growth, lactation, or work (production). The other ideas don’t line up because gross energy and digestible energy are earlier steps in energy flow, NE isn’t a mix of ME and NE, and NE isn’t limited to NEp alone.