Effect of dietary level of protein and fiber on the productive performance and health status of piglets1

Abstract

To study the interaction between the levels of protein and fiber on the productive performance and health status of piglets, ninety-six 35-d-old piglets (9.11 +/- 0.60 kg of BW) were placed in 32 pens of 3 animals each and allotted to 4 dietary treatments for 21 d. The 4 diets were based on rice, dairy products, and soybean meal in a 2 x 2 factorial arrangement of treatments, with 2 levels of CP (15.4 vs. 19.4%, as-fed basis) and 2 levels of dietary fiber [DF; low fiber (LF) 5.3% NDF and high fiber (HF) 7.15% NDF, as-fed basis]. The HF diet was developed by supplementing the basal diet with 40 g/kg of wheat bran and 20 g/kg of sugar beet pulp. Animal performance was obtained weekly with samples of feces collected for microbiology on the first and the last experimental day and scored from 1 (liquid) to 4 (hard). On the last day, 1 pig from each pen was sampled for blood analyses of the acute-phase protein, major acute-phase protein of pigs (PigMap) and subsequently killed to register the digestive tract weight (including contents) and colon histology. Pigs fed the HF diets had greater ADG (390 vs. 457 g; P < or = 0.001) and large intestine weight (4.4 vs. 5.4% of BW; P < or = 0.05). This coincided with a greater (P < or = 0.05) short-chain fatty acid concentration (especially of acetic and butyric acids), a decrease in Escherichia coli counts (7.77 vs. 6.86 log of cfu/g of feces, P < or = 0.05), and an increase in the ratio of lactobacilli:enterobacteria (0.76 vs. 1.37, P < or = 0.05). However, CP level did not modify the productive performance, but 20% CP increased P < or = 0.05) the relative weight (% of BW) of the small (6.5 vs. 7.7) and large intestine (3.8 vs. 4.3). In the large bowel, the 20% CP diet increased the numbers of goblet cells (4.6 vs. 5.4/100 microm; P< or = 0.05) and reduced the numbers of intraepithelial lymphocytes (1.8 vs. 1.3/100 microm; P < or = 0.05). In relation to health status, increasing DF was dependent of the dietary CP content. Supplementing the 16% CP diet with DF reduced the fecal score and increased the antibiotics interventions, whereas the opposite was the case in the 20% CP diet. Pigs fed the 20% CP diet showed decreased (P < or = 0.05) PigMap concentrations than pigs fed 16% CP diets. As a whole, CP showed major effects on the gastrointestinal weight and gut barrier integrity, whereas DF increased the productive performance and promoted major changes in the microbial colonization and fermentation variables.

Dehydrated cassava co-product in starting piglets feeding

“…This was different from Hermes et al (2009), whom suggests that the supply of 7% of NDF in piglets can lead to higher productive performance. Scholten et al (2002) used fermented wheat in liquid diets for recently weaned piglets and observed that this food can interfere in the gastrointestinal tract in a positive way, preventing unpleasant changes in the piglets' mucosa.…”

“…Molist et al (2009), using wheat bran and beet pulp, provided either separately or together, observed that after 10 days of weaning the animals, the contained wheat bran in their feed presented higher feed intake than those that did not receive fiber, however there were differences in the parameters of DGW and FC.…”

Impact of dietary protein on microbiota composition and activity in the gastrointestinal tract of piglets in relation to gut health: a review

“…In addition, in another challenge study with newly weaned piglets, which were orally infected with ETEC, a reduction of dietary protein content from 230 to 130 g/kg in SBM-based or dried skimmed milk powder-based diets was associated with lower fecal excretion of ETEC (Wellock et al, 2008a and2008b). In a study by Hermes et al (2009) on 35-day-old piglets, the effects of diets with either 190 or 150 g/kg CP on bacterial composition in feces were assessed. In this study, no differences in fecal samples were found between treatments, on counts of coliforms, enterococci, enterobacteria and lactobacilli.…”

“…However, different concentrations of inulin in the diets, the degree of polymerization of inulin and other factors affect microbial degradation, which may explain varying effects on the fermentative activity of the intestinal microbiota (Paßlack et al, 2012). Hermes et al (2009) added two native sources of NSP, wheat bran and sugar beet pulp to a low-(160 g/kg) and a high-(200 g/kg) protein diet fed to piglets. The counts of coliforms and enterobacteria in feces were lower, whereas the lactobacilli to enterobacteria ratio tended to be higher upon supplementing the diets with NSP.…”

Morphophysiological Adaptations of the Gastrointestinal Tract in Piglets Fed a Sesame Meal or Soybean Meal Diet

“…The lowered feed intake and gastrointestinal tract development observed during weaning have been associated with diet ingredients (Lallès et al, 2007), particularly the presence of Anti-Nutritional Factors (ANFs), as well as the quantity and type of fiber in vegetable protein sources (Hermes et al, 2009). Soybean meal is the main vegetable protein source used in piglet diets because of its amino acid profile; however, it contains ANFs that may limit its use (Makkink et al, 1994;Palacios et al, 2004).…”