Canola meal in nursery pig diets: growth performance and gut health

Abstract

An experiment was conducted to determine the effects of including canola meal (CM) in nursery pig diets on growth performance, immune response, fecal microbial composition, and gut integrity. A total of 200 nursery pigs (initial body weight = 7.00 kg) were obtained in 2 batches of 100 pigs each. Pigs in each batch were housed in 25 pens (4 pigs/pen) and fed 5 diets in a randomized complete block design. The 5 diets were corn-soybean meal (SBM)-based basal diets with 0, 10, 20, 30, or 40% of CM. The diets were fed in 3 phases; Phase 1: d 0 to 7, Phase 2: d 7 to 21, and Phase 3: d 21 to 42. Diets in each phase were formulated to similar net energy, Ca, and digestible P and amino acid contents. Feed intake and body weight were measured by phase. Immune response and gut integrity parameters were measured for at the end of Phases 1 and 2. Fecal microbial composition for diets with 0 or 20% CM was determined at the end of Phase 2. Overall average daily gain (ADG) responded quadratically (P < 0.05) to increasing dietary level of CM such that ADG was increased by 17% due to an increase in dietary level of CM from 0 to 20%, and was reduced by 16% due to an increase in dietary level of CM from 20 to 40%. Pigs fed diets with 0 or 40% CM did not differ in overall ADG. Dietary CM tended to quadratically decrease (P = 0.09) serum IgA level at the end of Phase 2 such that serum IgA level tended to reduce with an increase in dietary CM from 0 to 20%, and to increase with an increase in dietary CM from 20 to 40%. Dietary CM at 20% decreased (P < 0.05) relative abundance of Bacteroidetes phylum and tended to increase (P = 0.07) relative abundance of Firmicutes phylum. Dietary CM linearly increased (P < 0.05) the lactulose to mannitol ratio in the urine by 47 and 49% at the end of Phases 1 and 2, respectively; and tended to linearly decrease (P < 0.10) ileal trans-epithelial electrical resistance at the end of Phase 1 by 64%. In conclusion, CM fed in the current study could be included in corn-SBM-based diets for nursery pigs 20% to improve growth performance and gut microbial composition, and reduce immune response. Also, the CM used in the current study could be included in corn-SBM-based diets for nursery pigs at 30 or 40% without compromising growth performance. Dietary CM increased gut permeability, implying that dietary CM at 20% improves growth performance of weaned pigs through mechanisms other than reducing gut permeability.

Supplementation of protease to low amino acid diets containing superdose level of phytase for wean-to-finish pigs: effects on performance, postweaning intestinal health and carcass characteristics

“…Thereafter, pigs were transferred back to their original pen. A urine subsample was collected after homogenization and stored at −80 °C for later determination of gut permeability by the lactulose:mannitol (L:M) ratio in urine ( Hong et al, 2020 ).…”

Growth performance and gut health of Escherichia coli–challenged weaned pigs fed canola meal-containing diet

“…The CM fed in the current study was derived from Brassica napus seed and had been produced by the pre-press solvent extraction method. The CM fed in the current study was the same as that fed in our previous study ( Hong et al, 2020 ), and it was provided by South Dakota State University’s feed mill, which had obtained it from a local supplier in a single batch. The antimicrobial agents used in the current study were zinc oxide ( ZnO ; 72% ZnO; Maximo 720, Zinc Nacional, Monterrey, N.L, Mexico), chlortetracycline ( CTC ; 11% chlortetracycline hydrochloride; Aureomycin 50 Granular A, Zoetis Inc., Kalamazoo, MI), and tiamulin (2.2% tiamulin hydrogen fumarate; Denagard 10, Elanco Animal Health, Indianapolis, IN).…”

“…Indeed, the inclusion of the CM in diets for growing and finishing pigs at 30% resulted in reduced growth performance ( Smit et al, 2014 ). However, we recently observed a nonsignificant change in growth performance of weaned pigs due to an increase in dietary level of CM from 0% to 40% ( Hong et al, 2020 ). Others also observed a nonsignificant change in growth performance of weaned pigs due to dietary inclusion of CM at 20% ( Landero et al, 2011 ) or 40% ( Parr et al, 2015 ).…”

“…The glucosinolates present in CM can be degraded in the gastrointestinal tract ( GIT ) by dietary and gut microbial myrosinases ( Bell, 1993 ; Tripathi and Mishra, 2007 ) to yield compounds that have fungicidal and bactericidal activities ( Dufour et al, 2015 ; Sotelo et al, 2015 ; Barba et al, 2016 ). The relative abundance of Firmicutes in feces of weaned pigs was improved by dietary inclusion of CM at 20% ( Hong et al, 2020 ). Firmicutes have been associated with improved weight gain ( Pedersen et al, 2013 ; Indiani et al, 2018 ) and improved efficiency of energy harvesting in GIT ( Hildebrandt et al, 2009 ; Wang et al, 2019 ).…”

“…Previous studies ( Landero et al, 2011 ; Parr et al, 2015 ; Hong et al, 2020 ) in which the effect of dietary CM on growth performance was determined, the animal trials were conducted in university research facilities that are considered to be clean. Also, the effects of nonstarch polysaccharide ( NSP ) products of CM on net absorption of fluid and solutes by E. coli -challenged pigs have been reported ( Kiarie et al, 2008 ).…”