Growth performance of nursery and grower-finisher pigs fed diets supplemented with benzoic acid

Abstract

Two experiments were conducted to investigate the efficacy of benzoic acid on the growth performance of nursery and grower-finisher pigs. A randomized complete block design was used in both experiments with the initial body weight as the blocking factor. There were 3 treatments corresponding to 3 dietary levels of benzoic acid: 0, 0.3%, and 0.5%. In experiment 1, a total of 144 PIC L1050 barrows (initial body weight 7.1 ± 0.6 kg) were used with each treatment replicated 8 times. In experiment 2, a total of 288 PIC L1050 barrows (initial body weight 36.1 ± 3.6 kg) were used with each treatment replicated 16 times. There were 6 barrows in each replicate pen for both experiments. Experiments 1 and 2 lasted 28 and 70 days, respectively. In experiment 1, average daily gain (ADG) of all growth phases increased linearly (P < 0.05) with increasing supplementation of benzoic acid, which led to a linear improvement in average body weight on d 28 (P < 0.05). There was also an improvement in feed conversion ratio (FCR) of d 0 to 14 (linear effect: P < 0.05) and in average daily feed intake (ADFI) of d 14 to 28 and d 0 to 28 (linear effect: P < 0.01). In experiment 2, ADG during d 0 to 35 and d 35 to 70 and average body weight on d 35 improved linearly (P < 0.05) with increasing supplementation of benzoic acid. Average daily gain of d 0 to 70 and average body weight on d 70 increased significantly in a both linear and quadratic manner. There was a linear improvement in FCR in all growth phases (P < 0.05). In conclusion, the dietary inclusion of benzoic acid at the supplementation levels of 0.3% and 0.5% significantly improved the growth performance of nursery and grower-finisher pigs in the current study; the nursery pigs responded to the dietary supplementation of benzoic acid up to 0.5% linearly while the grower-finisher pigs achieved the optimal ADG at the calculated supplementation level of 0.36%.

Benzoic Acid Combined with Essential Oils Can Be an Alternative to the Use of Antibiotic Growth Promoters for Piglets Challenged with E. coli F4

“…The use of benzoic acid (BA) generally results in benefits in body weight gain, ADFI, and feed conversion of piglets after weaning [19,28,[38][39][40]. These benefits may be related with the fact that BA administration promotes the production and activation of digestive enzymes such as trypsin, lipase, amylase, maltase, sucrose, and lactase.…”

The Addition of Nature Identical Flavorings Accelerated the Virucidal Effect of Pure Benzoic Acid against African Swine Fever Viral Contamination of Complete Feed

“…Traditionally, both the pure benzoic acid and the nature identical flavorings evaluated in this study are supplemented to feed for improving the growth and health performance of pigs. Pure benzoic acid is a common preservative for foods and beverages and is an efficacious acidifier for weaned piglets and fattening pigs [ 23 , 24 ]. Pure benzoic acid can improve growth performance of pigs via multifaceted mechanisms such as selective suppression of the pathogens in the gut, enhancement in absorptive and antioxidative capacity of gut, and improvement in biodiversity in gastro-intestinal microbiota [ 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 ].…”

Successful Treatment of Recalcitrant Non-genital Warts (Verruca vulgaris) with a Topical Solution Containing Two Antivirals and a Low Concentration of Salicylic Acid

“…A formulation containing benzoic acid (20 mg), salicylic acid (20 mg) and metallic iodine (2.5 mg) per ml was developed to promote the regression of the signs and symptoms of skin warts. This formulation is based on information from the medical literature, which reports that pure benzoic acid (and its derivatives) and metallic iodine have antiviral properties [17][18][19][20]. The potential mechanisms of action of benzoic acid may be related to the degradation of the viral envelope, as its integrity is essential for the conduct of cellular infection [21].…”