ABSTRACT:The weaning time is a crucial period in the management of piglets. The risk of development of post-weaning diarrhoea (PWD) in piglets is high. PWD is the cause of serious economic losses in pig herds. Since 2006, the use of antibiotic growth promoters for prevention of diarrhoeal diseases in piglets has been banned. This measure also led to the investigation of alternative suitable feed supplements that would be reasonably efficient in protecting and sustaining animal health and performance. Various natural materials such as probiotics, prebiotics, organic acids, zinc and plant extracts have been tested as effective alternatives to antibiotics. Recently, owing to their high adsorption capacity, research efforts have been conducted on the application of natural clays and clay-based feed supplements. The purpose of this review is to summarize the effect of different alternative components as growth promoters on the health and performance of weaned and growing piglets.Keywords: infection; swine; antibiotics; intestinal microflora; performance; probiotics; prebiotics, organic acids; zinc; phytobiotics; aluminosilicate List of abbreviations CFU = colony-forming unit; ETEC = enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli; MMT = montmorillonite; PWD = post weaning diarrhoea; SCFA = short chain fatty acids; VFA = volatile fatty acids Review ArticleVeterinarni Medicina, 55, 2010 (5): 199-224 200 ruses (Moller et al., 1998;Song et al., 2006), transmissive gastroenteritis virus (Hampson et al., 1987; Alexa et al., 1995 Alexa et al., , 2001 Chae et al., 2000;Madec et al., 2000;Melin et al., 2004;Song et al., 2006;Thomsson et al., 2008) and others have been most frequently diagnosed.Early-weaned piglets are exposed to several stress factors, with nutrition, etiology and indoor environment of housing being particularly implicated (Madec et al., 2000;Laine et al., 2008). Noninfectious stress factors which are involved in the development of gastroenteric disorders are: -age of piglets when they are weaned from their dam (Svensmark et al., 1989;Skirrow et al., 1997), -sudden change of feed from sow milk that provides piglets with immunoglobulins (Bailey et al., 1992), -irregular feed intake (Bark et al., 1986;Spencer and Howell, 1989;Svensmark et al., 1989;Madec et al., 1998;Laine et al., 2008), -feed structure (Amezcua et al., 2002), -animal hygiene and housing conditions (Le Dividich, 1981;Le Dividich and Herpin, 1994;Madec et al., 1998), -inadequate feeder space per piglet in the pen (Amezcua et al., 2002). Numerous changes in the early-weaned piglet body can initiate PWD, such as morphological (Hampson, 1986) and functional alterations of the small intestine (Kidder and Manners, 1980; Hampson and Kidder, 1986), changes in intestinal colonization with predominance of E. coli (Melin et al., 1997;Katouli et al., 1999) and weakening of the immune system (Blecha et al., 1983;Wattrang et al., 1998). Ban of antibiotic growth promotersRegarding the fact that weaning greatly affects general health condition of piglets, it is nece...

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ABSTRACT:The purpose of the present study was to assess the effect of kaolin feeding on health status, body weight gain (BWG), course of diarrhoeal infections caused by enterotoxigenic strains of Escherichia coli (ETEC) and the level of mycobacterial contamination in weaned piglets. The testing was performed in two experiments involving 40 weaned piglets at the age of 28 days. In the infection-free experiment, piglets were fed a diet without (C0) or with 1% content of kaolin (K0) for 20 days. Subsequently, all of them were fed the same diet without kaolin supplementation for 39 days. Identical diets were fed during the infection experiment, and moreover, both groups (CI and KI) were orally infected with ETEC (O141:F18ac, STa+) on Day 1 of experiment. The short-term feeding of kaolin to weaned piglets had a significant positive effect on their BWG. During the period of feeding the kaolin-containing diets, BWG in C0 and K0 were 0.20 and 0.29 kg, respectively (P < 0.05), and in CI and KI 0.13 and 0.19 kg, respectively (P < 0.05). There was no evidence of side effects to their health, neither was there any change in biochemical and haematological profiles. In the infection experiment, a protective effect of kaolin on the course of ETEC infection was evident. Colonization and shedding of ETEC by piglets fed the kaolin diet were milder and had a shorter duration in comparison with control piglets. The culture examination of pure kaolin and kaolin containing diets for mycobacteria were negative. Potentially pathogenic mycobacteria occurring in the environment were isolated from faeces and tissues of pigs. According to these results, supplementation of diets with 1% kaolin to prevent diarrhoea in piglets and to support their growth in the critical post-weaning period could be recommended.

ABSTRACT:Peat is an easily available natural material and a source of biologically active substances widely used, not only in agriculture but in human and animal medicine as well. In recent years, interest in the use of peat as a feed supplement has increased, particularly due to its capability to prevent enteric diseases and to stimulate growth in piglets and pigs. The purpose of this review was to compare the advantages and risks associated with the use of peat for animal nutrition based on the literature available. Beneficial effects of various peat preparations on digestion, growth and the immune systems of animals as well as the absorbent and detoxifying capabilities are associated with the high content of favourable humic substances. One disadvantage of using peat preparations is the considerable diversity of the various types of peat caused by different biological, chemical and geological conditions during formation. Biological activity of various peat preparations is associated not only with fluctuations in the chemical compositions, but also with different application techniques. Based on the existing studies, it is unclear which application technique is most effective for respective animal species. Further studies should be conducted to elucidate the problem, with the inclusion of farm animals. One potential risk of peat feeding is the possibility of primary or secondary mycobacterial contamination. As long as feed rations are supplemented with peat preparations, it is essential to minimise the potential contamination risk during mining, processing and storage.

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The purpose of the present study was to ascertain whether it is possible to substitute animal protein in a pig diet with lupine of Sonet cultivar or amaranth grain or dried surface biomass of amaranth when one type feed ration is used during the entire period of fattening, and to investigate its impact on growth efficiency and health of pigs. Its role in feed conversion, carcass characteristics, meat quality and sensory parameters was analyzed.Four groups of pigs (n = 10, 5 males and 5 females) with the body weight of 24 kg were fed semi-ad libitum for 90 days the following diets: control group (C) -diet containing 3% of fish meal, experimental group (1) -diet containing 5% of non-heat-treated amaranth grain and 5% of dried surface biomass of amaranth, experimental group (2) -diet containing 5% of popped (heattreated) amaranth grain and 5% of dried surface amaranth biomass, experimental group (3) -diet containing 10% of lupine seed meal. Animal protein substitution in diets with amaranth (group 1, 2) or lupine (3) did not result in significant differences (p > 0.05) in average daily body weight gain in comparison with the control group (C -0.83 and 0.82, 0.80 and 0.79 kg in groups 1, 2 and 3, respectively). The differences in feed conversion were non-significant (2.69 to 2.79 kg/kg of body weight gain). The tested diets did not adversely affect animal metabolism, and significantly lower concentrations (p < 0.05, p < 0.01) of total protein, glucose and triacylglycerol in animals of group C ranged within physiological limits. No significant differences between control and experimental animals were found in carcass characteristics, meat and sensory qualities. Lupine supplementation of the diet positively affected the tenderness and taste of meat. Animal protein, performance, feed conversion, blood biochemistry, intramuscular fat, sensory parametersAfter the limitation of animal-derived feeds in animal nutrition, concern has been expressed as to what substances to use to replace the high-quality raw material previously used for the preparation of combined feeds without adverse effects on the health status and performance of fattened pigs. Although it is very difficult to replace animal protein, leguminous plants (soy, pea and lupine), oil plants (oilseed rape and sunflower) and pseudocereals (amaranth) may be considered. Predominant use of imported soy as a feed component for monogastric animals has been limited by price and moreover, heat treatment is necessary for inactivation of anti-nutrient substances. Some cultivars of soy also contain oestrogen-like substances (Sommer 2003).It follows from the present situation that it is necessary to use vegetable feeds of inland production and of high nutritional quality that are available for a reasonable price. The seeds of lupine cultivars meet these requirements from an aspect of high protein content, adaptability to various climatic conditions and sufficient yield. According to the most recent studies, lupine has been classified as one of eight prospective protein sour...

The seeds of sweet lupine cultivars (Lupineus species) have been used with increasing frequency as a source of proteins replacing proteins of animal origin or soybean in feed compounds. The seeds of sweet lupine cultivars contain an average of about 33-40% crude protein in dry matter, the lipid content ranges from 5 to 13%. The profile of amino acids is relatively beneficial, however, with slightly lower content of lysine (1.46%) and methionine (0.22%). The main storage carbohydrates in the seeds are the β-galactans that comprise most of the cell-wall material of the kernel and the cellulose and hemicellulose of the thick seed coats. Lupine seeds contain about 40% non-starch polysaccharides (NSP) and a negligible amount of starch. High coefficient of protein digestibility (> 90%) has been reported in sweet lupine cultivars, but lower digestibility of energy (~ 60%). Lupineus species contain negligible amounts of trypsin inhibitor so they do not require preheating before being used as an ingredient in feeds for monogastric animals. The efficiency of lupine seeds in the diets for pigs is characterized by controversial results of growth and feed conversion under both mechanical treatment and enzyme supplementation. The results of production efficiency obtained at the testing of lupine cultivars (L. albus, L. angustifolius) for pigs were beneficial at supplementation of the lacking nutrients or dehulling. The submitted paper summarizes national as well as foreign knowledge of the nutritive value of cultural lupine seeds, and deals with the possibility increasing nutrition and production efficiency in the diets for pigs. Lupineus sp., crude protein, oligosaccharides, nutrients, antinutritive effect, enzymes, production efficiency

ABSTRACT:The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the effect of soya replacement (50 or 100%) with whole (WL) or dehulled seeds (DL) of white lupine cv. Butan in the diets for market pigs. The experiment was performed on 50 pigs in equal numbers of barrows and gilts with the initial mean body weight (BW) of 18.3 ± 2.1 kg, fed isonitrogenous and isoenergetic diets for 100 days. In the experimental starter pigs (18 to 35 kg BW), the mean daily body weight gain (BWG) was 0.61 to 0.64 kg and was insignificantly lower by 1.5 to 6.2% in comparison with the pigs fed the control soya diet (SBM). The diet intake was also lower by 5.4 to 6.8% and could result from a higher content of crude fibre. In the grower and finisher diets, no side effect of high lupine levels on the feed intake was evident. The intake of DL diets was higher in comparison with the soya diet. The feed efficiency of the finisher diets was insignificantly higher (P > 0.05) for experimental diets (WL 50, WL 100, DL 100) in contrast to the control diet. The differences among diets containing WL or DL seeds were insignificant. During the experiment, no adverse effect of lupine on the health of pigs was observed and no significant differences in the parameters of market pig meat, nutrition quality of meat and sensory analysis were detected. The inclusion of lupine in diets resulted in a significantly lower n-6/n-3 ratio of polyunsaturated fatty acids (P < 0.01) in meat lipids (5.15 to 5.33) in comparison with soya (8.75). It follows from the obtained results that the tested lupine variety seeds are a source of high-quality protein that can be an alternative to soya in the diets for market pigs.