Evolution of zinc, iron, and copper concentrations along the gastrointestinal tract of piglets weaned with or without in-feed high doses of zinc oxide compared to unweaned littermates.

High doses of ZnO are used to treat diarrhea in weaning pigs but are also an environmental concern. The mechanism of action of Zn against diarrhea is still not well understood. The amount of solubilized Zn, the relation of Zn with Fe and Cu, and the concentration of these elements in the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) are key data to understanding its mechanism of action and optimize its use. Therefore, we studied the Zn, Fe, and Cu concentrations in the GIT content of unweaned, weaned, and ZnO-treated pigs. Eight litters were used and 3 piglets were selected within each litter. Two piglets from each litter were weaned at 21 d of age and fed a commercial control diet (WCt) or WCt + 2000 mg/kg of Zn as ZnO (WZn). The third pig was kept unweaned (Uw) with the sow. All 24 pigs were killed at 28 d of age, GIT contents were sampled, soluble and insoluble fractions of the content were separated, and Zn, Fe, and Cu concentrations were analyzed. Concentration of Zn increased 3 to 5 fold along the GIT (2 to 10 fold in the soluble fraction) for weaned pigs on WZn compared to WCt and Uw pigs (P < 0.01 in all cases). The proportion of total Zn that was present in the soluble fraction was 4 to 10 folds higher in jejunum, ileum, and cecum of Uw pigs than in those weaned (P < 0.01 in all cases) but was not affected by ZnO treatment. Concentration of Fe in the soluble fraction was higher for Uw pigs compared to weaned pigs along the GIT (P < 0.05 in all cases) even when concentration in total content was lower for Uw pigs in stomach (P = 0.001) and jejunum (P = 0.029). Concentrations of Cu were lower in Uw pigs than in weaned pigs along the GIT (P < 0.05 in all cases). Surprisingly, animals on WZn showed a 5 to 10 fold increase of Cu solubilized in distal parts of the GIT (cecum and colon; P < 0.001) compared to other groups. Differences in Zn, Fe, and Cu concentrations found among treatments will be useful in future studies for understanding mechanism of action of ZnO and optimizing its use in order to avoid environmental concerns.

Use of spray-cooling technology for development of microencapsulated capsicum oleoresin for the growing pig as an alternative to in-feed antibiotics: a study of release using in vitro models.

The aim of this study was to develop sustained release microspheres of capsicum oleoresin as an alternative to in-feed additives. Two spray-cooling technologies, a fluidized air bed using a spray nozzle system and a vibrating nozzle system placed on top of a cooling tower, were used to microencapsulate 20% of capsicum oleoresin in a hydrogenated, rapeseed oil matrix. Microencapsulation was intended to reduce the irritating effect of capsicum oleoresin and to control its release kinetics during consumption by the animal. Particles produced by the fluidized air bed process (batch F1) ranged from 180 to 1,000 microm in size. The impact of particle size on release of capsaicin, the main active compound of capsicum oleoresin, was studied after sieving batch F1 to obtain 4 formulations: F1a (180 to 250 microm), F1b (250 to 500 microm), F1c (500 to 710 microm), and F1d (710 to 1,000 microm). The vibrating nozzle system can produce a monodispersive particle size distribution. In this study, particles of 500 to 710 microm were made (batch F2). The release kinetics of the formulations was estimated in a flow-through cell dissolution apparatus (CFC). The time to achieve a 90% dissolution value (T90%) of capsaicin for subbatches of F1 increased with the increase in particle size (P < 0.05), with the greatest value of 165.5 +/- 13.2 min for F1d. The kinetics of dissolution of F2 was slower than all F1 subbatches, with a T90% of 422.7 +/- 30.0 min. Nevertheless, because CFC systems are ill suited for experiments with solid feed and thus limit their predictive values, follow-up studies were performed on F1c and F2 using an in vitro dynamic model that simulated more closely the digestive environment. For both formulations a lower quantity of capsaicin dialyzed was recorded under fed condition vs. fasting condition with 46.9% +/- 1.0 vs. 74.7% +/- 2.7 for F1c and 32.4% +/- 1.4 vs. 44.2% +/- 2.6 for F2, respectively. This suggests a possible interaction between capsaicin and the feed matrix. Moreover, 40.4 +/- 3.9% of the total capsaicin intake in F2 form was dialyzed after 8 h of digestion when feed had been granulated vs. 32.4 +/- 1.4% when feed had not been granulated, which suggests that the feed granulation process could lead to a partial degradation of the microspheres and to a limitation of the sustained release effect. This study demonstrates the potential and the limitations of spray-cooling technology to encapsulate feed additives.