The present study investigates the effect of zinc oxide (ZN), bacteriophage (BAC) or their combination on the growth performance and gut development in weaning pigs. A total of 200 weaned pigs were allotted to four treatments including two levels (0 and 0.34%) of ZN and two levels (0 and 0.10%) of BAC cocktail. Supplementation of both BAC and ZN in the diet improved average daily gain and gain to feed ratio in all three phases. The apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD) of dry matter was consistently increased in BAC. A higher digestibility of dry matter was observed in ZN group at phase-I and II. The ATTD of crude protein was increased in BAC group at phase-I and III. ZN increased ATTD of crude protein during phase III. In all phases, the population of total anaerobic bacteria, Bifidobacterium spp., Lactobacillus spp., Clostridium spp. and coliforms were higher in BAC and ZN groups with the exception for coliforms in ZN at the end of experiment. The duodenum (p < 0.05) and jejunum (p < 0.01) villus heights were considerably increased in BAC group but the ileal villus height was not affected by the addition of BAC in the diet. Similar increase (p < 0.05) in the duodenal (p ¼ 0.06) and jejunal (p < 0.01) villus heights were also observed in ZN supplemented groups. The overall faecal score was reduced (p < 0.01) by BAC and tended to decrease (p ¼ 0.07) by ZN. Thus both ZN and BAC are useful for improving the performance and gut health in weaning pigs without any interactive effects. ARTICLE HISTORY

ObjectiveIn the present study, role of increasing levels of Ecklonia cava (seaweed) supplementation in diets was investigated on growth performance, coefficient of total tract apparent digestibility (CTTAD) of nutrients, serum immunoglobulins, cecal microflora and intestinal morphology of weanling pigs.MethodsA total of 200 weaned pigs (Landrace×Yorkshire×Duroc; initial body weight 7.08±0.15 kg) were randomly allotted to 4 treatments on the basis of body weight. There were 5 replicate pens in each treatment including 10 pigs of each. Treatments were divided by dietary Ecklonia cava supplementation levels (0%, 0.05%, 0.1%, or 0.15%) in growing-finishing diets. There were 2 diet formulation phases throughout the experiment. The pigs were offered the diets ad libitum for the entire period of experiment in meal form.ResultsThe pigs fed with increasing dietary concentrations of Ecklonia cava had linear increase (p<0.05) in the overall average daily gain, however, there were no significant differences in gain to feed ratio, CTTAD of dry matter and crude protein at both phase I and phase II. Digestibility of gross energy was linearly improved (p<0.05) in phase II. At day 28, pigs fed Ecklonia cava had greater (linear, p<0.05) Lactobacillus spp., fewer Escherichia coli (E. coli) spp. (linear, p<0.05) and a tendency to have fewer cecal Clostridium spp. (p = 0.077). The total anaerobic bacteria were not affected with supplementation of Ecklonia cava in diets. Polynomial contrasts analysis revealed that villus height of the ileum exhibited a linear increase (p<0.05) in response with the increase in the level of dietary Ecklonia cava. However, villus height of duodenum and jejunum, crypt depth, villus height to crypt depth ratio of different segments of the intestine were not affected.ConclusionThe results suggest that Ecklonia cava had beneficial effects on the growth performance, cecal microflora, and intestinal morphology of weanling pigs.

Currently, there is a growing interest among consumers in selecting healthier meat with a greater proportion of essential fatty acids (FA). This experiment was conducted to evaluate the role of different ratios of dietary n-6:n-3 on growth performance, FA profile of longissimus dorsi (LD), relative gene expression of cytokines, meat quality, and blood parameters in finishing pigs. A total of 108 finishing pigs was randomly allotted to three treatments including a control (basal diet) and low ratios (4:1 and 2:1) of n-6:n-3. The 4:1 and 2:1 diets decreased the overall stearic acid in LD. There were reductions in the content of stearic acid, palmitoleic acid, total saturated acid, and n-6:n-3 ratio of LD in pigs fed 4:1 and 2:1 diet compared with the control diet. The 4:1 and 2:1 diets increased the concentration of α-Linolenic acid and polyunsaturated FA in the LD of pigs. Acetyl-CoA carboxylase enzyme gene was down-regulated in pigs fed 2:1 diet compared with finishing pigs fed the control or 4:1 diets. The relative expression of hormonesensitive lipase was increased in pigs fed 2:1 and 4:1 ratio diets. Lower total cholesterol of plasma was observed in finishing pigs fed 2:1 and 4:1 diets. The cooking loss ratio of meat was lower in pigs fed the 2:1 and 4:1 diets compared with the control diet. Pigs fed the 4:1 and 2:1 diets had greater final body weight. In conclusion, the 2:1 and 4:1 diets have the potential to increase the meat quality and growth performance of pigs.

2018) An overview of hourly rhythm of demand-feeding pattern by a controlled feeding system on productive performance of lactating sows during summerABSTRACT The present study investigated the impacts of the conventional feeder and free feeding time (FFT), and backfat thickness (<20 mm and !20 mm) on sows at farrowing to weaning during the summer season. A total of 56 crossbred sows were allotted to one of four treatments according to a 2 Â 2 factorial arrangement. Feeder type affected body weight changes (p < .01) and backfat losses (p < .05), and the body weight changes (p < .05) and backfat losses (p < .01) of sows were lower for those with <20 mm backfat thickness compared with those with !20 mm backfat thickness during the lactation period. Daily feed intake was greater in sows with lower backfat thickness (5.47 kg; p < .01) and sows in the FFT group (5.46 kg; p < .05). A greater average daily gain was observed in sows in the FFT group (p < .05). There were no effects of feeder type or backfat thickness on weaning-to-oestrus interval, blood urea nitrogen, glucose, triglyceride, creatinine, FSH and LH, or colostrum and milk composition for sows during lactation. There was a linear increase in the count of Lactobacillus spp. and coliforms in conventional feeders over time (p < .01). A linear increase was detected for acetic acid production in the conventional feeders over time (p < .01). Hence, it was concluded that controlling sows' feeding leads to improved feed intake for sows housed in hot ambient temperatures during the summer period. ARTICLE HISTORY

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