Growth performance and hematological changes in growing pigs treated with Cordyceps militaris spent mushroom substrate

Abstract

<jats:p>Aim: This study was aimed to compare the efficacy of dietary Cordyceps militaris spent mushroom substrate (CMS) on growth performance, immunity, metabolic profiles, and antioxidant capacity in growing pigs. Materials and Methods: Seventy-two crossbred growing pigs (Duroc×Landrace×Yorkshire) with an average initial body weight (BW) of 25.78±0.33 kg were allotted into two dietary treatments in six pens (six growing pigs each). Dietary treatments were (i) control and (ii) supplemented group with 2 g/kg CMS. Results: Growing pigs fed with 2 g/kg CMS showed improvements in final BW (p=0.034) and average daily weight gain (p=0.039). Moreover, there were positive changes in immunoglobulin A (p=0.013), immunoglobulin G (p=0.019), total antioxidant capacity (p=0.001), and glutathione peroxidase activity (p=0.003), whereas decreased leukocyte percentage (p=0.002), cholesterol (p=0.023), and malondialdehyde (MDA) concentrations (p=0.002) were noted in the CMS supplemented treatment. Average daily feed intake, gain-to-feed ratio, glucose, aspartate aminotransferase, triglyceride, high-density lipoprotein, and low-density lipoprotein were unaffected by the treatments. Conclusion: Supplementation of CMS at 2 g/kg of diet increases growth performance, immunoglobulin secretion, and antioxidant capacity, whereas it lowers leukocyte percentage, cholesterol, and MDA concentrations in growing pigs.</jats:p>

Effect of Spent Mushroom (Cordyceps militaris) on Growth Performance, Immunity, and Intestinal Microflora in Weaning Pigs

“…Furthermore, the SM contained dietary fibre (163 g kg −1 ), which could induce a hypercholesterolemic effect through increased production of short-chain fatty acids, which in turn can suppress hepatic and intestinal cholesterol synthesis and decrease cholesterol levels [ 36 , 37 ]. However, this is in contrast to previous findings that did not observe changes in the cholesterol level in pigs consuming an SM diet [ 23 , 25 ]. The controversial outcome may have been caused by the pig growth stage, diet composition, animal health status, or environmental variation.…”

“…Notably, the inclusion of SM improved the growth performance of weaning pigs. This improvement agrees with previous observations showing that the addition of 1, 2, and 10 g/kg SM significantly improved the zootechnical performance of broiler chickens, growing pigs, and Nile tilapia, respectively [ 23 , 24 , 26 ]. This positive effect may be caused by the weaning pigs being able to uptake nutrients more efficiently and maintain their health status, resulting in better growth performance.…”

“…These agents can synthesize antimicrobial peptides and protease to ingest extracellular parasites and block proinflammatory signals [ 40 ]. The present study also found that the SM of C. militaris with the jasmine rice formula contained 48.32 µg/100 g dry weight of gamma-oryzanol [ 23 ], which has potential effects on the immune system that may protect against bacterial invasion [ 45 ]. It might be possible for the SM to change the barrier function of the intestinal mucosa, therefore inhibiting inflammatory action to pathogenic invasion, which is in accordance with lower E. coli .…”

“…This increase in mushroom consumption causes the production of greater amounts of undesirable parts of the mushrooms as waste in the environment. Spent mushroom (SM) from C. militaris contains various bioactive compounds such as gamma-oryzanol, cordycepin, adenosine, D-mannitol, and polysaccharides [ 21 , 22 , 23 ]. The use of C. militaris significantly improved growth performance and immunity [ 24 , 25 ], in agreement with a previous study in which Nile tilapia were fed 10 g/kg SM [ 26 ].…”

Acremonium terricola Culture’s Dose–Response Effects on Lactational Performance, Antioxidant Capacity, and Ruminal Characteristics in Holstein Dairy Cows

“…The unaltered DMI agreed with the results of previous studies showing that ATC or Cordyceps spp. supplementation improved body weight and feed efficiency rather than DMI [ 17 , 19 , 46 , 47 ]. However, we noted differences in feeding behavior.…”