Polyphenols as a partial replacement for vitamin E in nursery pig diets.

A total of 300 pigs (241 × 600; DNA, Columbus, NE; initially 6.0 ±â€…0.01 kg) were used in a 42-d trial to determine the effects of vitamin E levels and partially replacing vitamin E with a polyphenol (Cabanin CSD, R2 Argo, Denmark) on growth performance, complete blood count, serum thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and cytokine panel. Sixty pens of pigs were weighed and allotted to one of the five dietary treatments in a completely randomized design with 12 pens per treatment. A control treatment was formulated to provide 15 IU/kg of vitamin E equivalence from vitamin E. This control treatment was then used as a base for three replacement strategy diets to determine the effects of replacing an additional 60 IU/kg of vitamin E with polyphenol in diets containing a basal level of vitamin E requirement estimate (15 IU/kg). First, an additional 60 IU/kg of vitamin E was added for a total of 75 IU/kg of vitamin E equivalence. Second, 50% of the additional vitamin E (30 IU/kg) was replaced with the equivalency of polyphenol. Third, all 60 IU/kg of the additional vitamin E was replaced with the equivalency of polyphenol. To evaluate whether there are negative effects of feeding nursery pigs a high level of polyphenol, a fifth treatment was formulated to provide 575 IU/kg of vitamin E equivalence with 75 IU/kg from vitamin E and 500 IU/kg from polyphenol. Whole blood and serum samples were collected on days 10 and 42, and pig weights and feed disappearance were measured on days 10, 21, 31, 38, and 42. For growth performance, increasing vitamin E equivalence tended to improve (quadratic, P < 0.10) gain-to-feed ratio (G:F) from days 10 to 21, and tended to improve (linear, P < 0.10) G:F from days 21 to 42 and 0 to 42. There was a vitamin E equivalence × day interaction (P = 0.050) for serum SOD activity. Increasing vitamin E equivalence increased (linear, P < 0.05) serum SOD activity on day 42 but not on days 10 (P > 0.10). For serum cytokines, there was no evidence of differences (P > 0.10) between treatments and vitamin E equivalence. Moreover, there was no evidence of differences (P > 0.10) in all response variables between the three replacement strategies throughout the entire periods. In summary, increasing vitamin E equivalence tended to improve G:F, which may be related to the improved SOD activity. Furthermore, polyphenol can effectively replace vitamin E provided above the vitamin E requirement to provide similar benefits from increasing vitamin E equivalence.

Impact of Dietary Supplementation of Lactic Acid Bacteria Fermented Rapeseed with or without Macroalgae on Performance and Health of Piglets Following Omission of Medicinal Zinc from Weaner Diets.

The feeding of medicinal zinc oxide (ZnO) to weaner piglets will be phased out after 2022 in Europe, leaving pig producers without options to manage post-weaning disorders. This study assessed whether rapeseed meal, fermented alone (FRM) or co-fermented with a single (Ascophylum nodosum; FRMA), or two (A. nodossum and Saccharina latissima; FRMAS) brown macroalagae species, could improve weaner piglet performance and stimulate intestinal development as well as maturation of gut microbiota in the absence of in-feed zinc. Weaned piglets (n = 1240) were fed, during 28-85 days of age, a basal diet with no additives (negative control; NC), 2500 ppm in-feed ZnO (positive control; PC), FRM, FRMA or FRMAS. Piglets fed FRM and FRMA had a similar or numerically improved, respectively, production performance compared to PC piglets. Jejunal villus development was stimulated over NC in PC, FRM and FRMAS (gender-specific). FRM enhanced colon mucosal development and reduced signs of intestinal inflammation. All fermented feeds and PC induced similar changes in the composition and diversity of colon microbiota compared to NC. In conclusion, piglet performance, intestinal development and health indicators were sustained or numerically improved when in-feed zinc was replaced by FRM.

Morphology of the large intestine of the pig: haustra versus taenia.

The aim of the present study was to compare the morphological characteristics of the taenia and haustra of the large intestine in pigs. Ten pigs were fed a barley/wheat-based diet for a period of five weeks. Tissue samples were taken from the cecum and the proximal part of the colon at slaughter and processed histologically for determination of crypt volume, depth and density of the crypts, thickness of muscularis externa, and carbohydrate histochemistry. In all parameters examined regional differences in mucosal architecture of the cecum and proximal colon were demonstrated. Apparently, the regional differences in mucosal architecture between taenia and haustra were more pronounced in the cecum than in the proximal colon. The regional variation in mucin characteristics and in crypt parameters could be explained by differences in functional status and/or in the local environment. As all the parameters investigated in this study are not only dependent on sampling site, but also, e.g., on type of diet and its physical form, great care must be taken to obtain tissue from comparable sites in all animals in experimental studies to avoid incorrect conclusions.