The effect of monosodium L glutamate (MSG) on diet palatability and piglet performance during the suckling and weaning periods was studied in the course of five successive experiments involving a total of 230 litters during the suckling period and 120 pens of seven piglets during the post-weaning period. During the suckling period, the addition of 5 g MSG per kg diet led to a significant 0·36 proportional increase of creep food intake from the 18th day post farrowing. However, no increase in weaning weight was observed subsequent to the intake of the diet with added MSG. Moreover, in an experiment where MSG was added with an associated commercial flavour, no flavour enhancing effect of MSG was detectable. Few health problems were encountered at weaning and the number of scouring piglets was not related to one particular diet. During the first 13 days after weaning the addition of MSG to the diet increased daily food intake by proportionately 0·1 (P < 0·01) as well as growth rate by proportionately 0·07 (P < 0·01). Moreover, the addition of MSG to the diet was more effective with piglets of low weaning weight and thus contradicted the classical relationship between post-weaning performance and weaning weight. Finally, in an experiment where weaning occurred at lower ambient temperature, no improvement of post-weaning performance was observed following the addition of MSG.
In a total digestibility trial, 24 pigs were distributed into 6 groups and 4 replicates according to a factorial design 3 x 2. Three levels (2.5, 4.5 and 6.5 p. 100) of crude fibre (wheat bran) were combined to the absence or presence of whey at a level of 30 p. 100 of dietary DM. The same combination was studied for ileal digestibility in six pigs fitted with an ileo-rectal anastomosis, using a latin square design. The apparent digestibility coefficients (aDC) of all dietary nutrients were significantly reduced (p < 0.01) by the increase in the cellulose content : by 4 points for energy for 1 p. 100 crude fibre, but the presence of 30 p. 100 whey also provoked an additional reduction by 4 points. However, significant interactions only occurred between these factors for cell-wall constituents. Digestibility of the lignin-cellulose fraction, and at a lesser extent that of hemicelluloses was lower in cellulose-poor diets than in the others. The difference between total and ileal aDC for each diet was generally positive, except for lipids. However, the magnitude of the difference varied according to the diets : from 4 points for energy with cellulose-poor diets with water up to 13 points for whey-rich diets.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.