L-arginine supplementation during the final third of gestation improves litter uniformity and physical characteristics of neonatal piglet thermoregulation.

The study assessed the effects of dietary L-arginine supplementation from days 85 to 115 of gestation on sow performance, litter quality, piglet physiology and survival variables in the first 24 hr of life. Twenty multiparous sows, with a history of hyperprolificacy (more than 14 piglets per litter), were used. A completely randomized experimental design was used, consisting of two treatments: feed supplemented or not with 1% L-arginine from days 85 to 115 of gestation. The experimental unit consisted of the sow and its respective litter, using 10 replicates per treatment. The sows were distributed into the treatments based on body condition and parity. Supplementation with L-arginine reduced the within-litter standard deviation and the within-litter coefficient of variation of piglet weight at 24 hr by 54 g and 4.14 percentage points respectively (p = .029; p = .035). Supplementation with 1.0% L-arginine decreased the percentages of piglets weighing less than 800 g by 5.60 and 5.08 points at birth and at 24 hr of life respectively. Piglets from sows supplemented with L-arginine had higher (p = .088) average rectal temperatures at birth and lower (p = .030) rectal temperature at 24 hr of life in comparison with control piglets. No significant differences in placental weight or estimated colostrum production and intake were observed in the first 24 hr of life. At 24 hr of life, piglets weighing less than 1,000 g and from supplemented sows had lower (p = .048) surface/mass ratios and higher body mass index (p = .070). Piglets from supplemented sows and who weighed 1601 to 1,800 g had lower body mass index and ponderal index (p = .002; p = .003). Supplementation with L-arginine during the final third of gestation reduces the incidence of unviable piglets (<800 g) and improved litter uniformity and piglets' body conformation within the first 24 hr of life.

Effects of creep feeding and supplemental glutamine or glutamine plus glutamate (Aminogut) on pre- and post-weaning growth performance and intestinal health of piglets.

BACKGROUND: Creep feeding is used to stimulate piglet post-weaning feed consumption. L-Glutamine (GLN) is an important source of fuel for intestinal epithelial cells. The objective of this study was to determine the impact of creep feeding and adding GLN or AminoGut (AG; containing glutamine + glutamate) to pre- and post-weaning diets on pig performance and intestinal health. Litters (N = 120) were allotted to four treatments during 14-21 d of lactation: 1) No creep feed (NC, n = 45); 2) creep fed control diet (CFCD, n = 45); 3) creep fed 1% GLN (CFGLN, n = 15); 4) creep fed .88% AG (CFAG, n = 15). After weaning, the NC and CFCD groups were sub-divided into three groups (n = 15 each), receiving either a control nursery diet (NC-CD, CFCD-CD) or a diet supplemented with either GLN (NC-GLN, CFCD-GLN) or with AG (NC-AG, CFCD-AG). Litters that were creep fed with diets containing GLN or AG also were supplemented with those amino acids in the nursery diets (CFGLN-GLN, CFAG-AG). Glutamine was added at 1% in all three post-weaning diet phases and AG was added at .88% in phase 1 and 2 and at .66% in phase 3. RESULTS: Feed conversion (feed/gain) showed means among treatment means close to significance (P = 0.056) and Tukey's test for pairwise mean comparisons showed that Pigs in the CFGLN-GLN group had the best feed conversion (feed/gain) in the first three-week period post-weaning, exceeding (P = 0.044) controls (CFCD-CD) by 34%. The NC-AG group had (P = 0.02) the greatest feed intake in the last three week of the study, exceeding controls (CFCD-CD) by 12%. CFGLN-GLN, CFCD-GLN and sow reared (SR) pigs had the greatest (P = 0.049) villi height exceeding the CFCD-AG group by 18%, 20% and 19% respectively. The CFAG-AG group had the deepest (P = 0.001) crypts among all treatments. CFGLN-GLN, CFCD-GLN and SR groups had the greatest (P = 0.001) number of cells proliferating (PCNA) exceeding those in the NC-CD group by 43%, 54% and 63% respectively. Sow reared pigs showed the greatest (P = 0.001) intestinal absorption capacity for xylose and mannitol. CONCLUSION: Supplementation of creep feed and nursery diets with GLN and/or AminoGut in the first three week improved feed conversion possibly due to improved intestinal health.

Glutamine and glutamate supplementation raise milk glutamine concentrations in lactating gilts.

Glutamine is the most abundant amino acid in milk, and lactation is associated with increased glutamine utilization both for milk synthesis and as a fuel for the enlarged small intestine. A number of recent studies have indicated that lactation is accompanied by a mild catabolic state in which skeletal muscle proteins are degraded to provide amino acids that are used to synthesize additional glutamine. In this study we tested the hypothesis that supplemental L-glutamine or the commercially available glutamine supplement Aminogut (2.5% by weight mixed into daily feed) provided to gilts from 30 days prior to parturition until 21 days post-parturition would prevent a decrease in skeletal muscle glutamine while increasing the glutamine content of the milk. Muscle glutamine content decreased (P < 0.05) in control animals during lactation but this was prevented by supplementation with either L-glutamine or Aminogut. In this study, neither lactation nor supplementation had any effect on plasma glutamine or glutamate content. Free glutamine, and the total glutamine plus glutamate concentrations in milk from the control and the Aminogut group rose (P < 0.05) during the first 7 days of lactation, with milk concentrations in the L-glutamine supplemented group showing a similar trend (P = 0.053). Milk glutamate remained constant between day 7 and 21 of lactation in the control and L-glutamine supplemented groups, but by day 21 of lactation the free glutamine, glutamate, and glutamine plus glutamate concentrations in milk from Aminogut-treated gilts were higher than those of control gilts. Thus dietary glutamine supplementation can alleviate the fall in intramuscular glutamine content during lactation in gilts, and may alleviate some of the catabolic effects of lactation. Furthermore, the increased milk glutamine content in the supplemented gilts may provide optimum nutrition for piglet development.

Effects of different grinding levels (particle size) of soybean hull on starting pigs performance and digestibility

Two experiments were carried out to study the effects of grinding of soybean hulls (SH) on starting pigs (15-30 kg) diets. Experiment I consisted of a digestibility trial with 12 barrows, initial average body weight 21.9±1.29 kg, in which the best digestibility coefficient (DC) of DM and GE was obtained with SH ground through a 2.5mm screen mesh, evaluated for CP and ME, a best DC was attained with 3.0 mm screen mesh. In the Experiment II, five diets with increasing SH (2.5 mm) levels (0, 3, 6, 9 and 12 percent) for starting piglets were formulated. A quadratic response in daily weight gain (DWG) occurred, according to SH inclusion. Worst DWG occurred at 7.75 percent SH inclusion. Daily feed intake, feed: gain ratio and plasma urea nitrogen were not affected by inclusion levels. In conclusion, although soybean hull grinding improves the digestible nutrients, inclusion of SH on starting pig diets is economically unfeasible.

Foram conduzidos dois experimentos para estudar os efeitos da moagem da casca de soja (CS) nas dietas de leitões na fase inicial (15-30 kg). O Experimento I consistiu de um ensaio de digestibilidade com 12 suínos machos castrados, com peso inicial médio de 21,9±1,29 kg. O melhor coeficiente de digestibilidade (CD) da MS e EB foi obtido com a peneira 3,0 mm. No Experimento II, foram formuladas cinco dietas com níveis crescentes (0, 3, 6, 9 e 12 por cento) de CS (2,5 mm) para suínos na fase inicial. Foi obtida resposta quadrática para ganho diário de peso (GDP) em função dos níveis crescentes de CS. Pior GDP ocorreu com 7,75 por cento de inclusão de CS. Consumo diário de ração, conversão alimentar e nitrogênio da uréia plasmática não foram influenciados pela inclusão da CS. Conclui-se que, embora a moagem melhore a digestibilidade dos nutrientes da casca de soja, a sua inclusão nas dietas de suínos na fase inicial é economicamente inviável.

Diferentes tipos de milheto utilizados na alimentação de suínos em crescimento e terminação / Different types of pearl millets (Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R. Brown) on growing - finishing pigs feeding

Um experimento de desempenho foi conduzido com o objetivo de avaliar a viabilidade nutricional e econômica da utilização de rações com diferentes tipos de milheto, com nível de inclusão de 60 por cento, na alimentação de suínos, nas fases de crescimento e terminação. Foram utilizados 40 suínos híbridos na fase de crescimento (30,3±2,9kg) e terminação (54,3±4,1kg), distribuídos em um delineamento em blocos casualizados, com cinco tratamentos, quatro blocos e dois suínos por unidade experimental. Os tratamentos consistiram de uma ração à base de milho e farelo de soja e outras quatro com a inclusão de 60 por cento de diferentes tipos de milheto (IAPAR, COMUM, BN2 e BN2S, sendo este com espigueta). Não foram observadas diferenças entre os tipos de milheto para consumo diário de ração, ganho diário de peso, conversão alimentar e características de carcaça. Os resultados sugerem que é viável a inclusão de 60 por cento de milheto da linhagem IAPAR, da cultivar "COMUM", das variedades BN2 ou BN2S (com a espigueta), nas rações de suínos em crescimento e terminação.

A performance trial was carried out to evaluate the nutritional and economic feasibility of growing-finishing pig diets with 60 percent of different pearl millets. Forty crossbreed pigs were used during growing (initial weight 30.3±2.9kg) and finishing (54.3±4.1kg) phases. Pigs were allotted in a randomized blocks design with 5 treatments, 4 blocs and 2 pigs per experimental unit. The treatments consisted in a corn-soybean meal and other 4 diets containing 60 percent of inclusion of different types of pearl millet (IAPAR, COMUM, BN2 and BN2S. The last is pearl millet BN2 in spikelets). There was not difference for types of pearl millet on daily feed intake, daily weight gain, feed: gain ratio and carcass traits. The results suggested that it is possible to use 60 percent of IAPAR, COMUM, BN2 and BN2S pearl millet in growing-finishing pig diets.

Metabolizable energy requirement for starting barrow pigs (15 to 30 kg) fed on the ideal protein concept based diets

A exigência de energia metabolizável (EM) para suínos machos castrados foi determinada no presente experimento. Foram utilizados 43 suínos geneticamente melhorados, distribuídos em delineamento experimental de blocos inteiramente casualizados, com quatro tratamentos, cinco blocos e dois animais por unidade experimental. Tratamento 1 constituiu-se de uma dieta contendo 3.264 kcal de EM/kg contendo 0,96% de lisina digestível, 0,55% de metionina + cistina digestíveis, 0,60% de treonina digestível e 0,188% de triptofano digestível, atendendo ao conceito de proteína ideal. Tratamentos 2, 3 e 4 foram semelhantes à do Tratamento 1, onde os níveis de energia foram 2, 4 e 6% maiores que o Tratamento 1. A relação lisina/EM foi mantida constante (2,82 g) em todos tratamentos. O consumo diário de ração e conversão alimentar não foram influenciados pelos níveis crescentes de EM. Ocorreu aumento linear do ganho diário de peso, consumo diário de energia, porcentagem de gordura e taxa de deposição de gordura. Houve redução linear da porcentagem de proteína na carcaça. Os resultados sugerem que, para suínos (15 - 30 kg) machos castrados, geneticamente melhorados, alimentados com dietas de 0,96% de lisina, formuladas de acordo com o conceito de proteína ideal, a exigência de energia metabolizável é de 3.264 kcal/kg ou menos.