Toward Precise Nutrient Value of Feed in Growing Pigs: Effect of Meal Size, Frequency and Dietary Fibre on Nutrient Utilisation

Abstract

Nutritional values of ingredients have been and still are the subject of many studies to reduce security margins of nutrients when formulating diets to reduce feed cost. In most studies, pigs are fed a limited amount of feed in a limited number of meals that do not represent how pigs are fed in commercial farm conditions. With free access to feed, pigs follow their intrinsic feeding behaviour. Feed intake is regulated by satiety and satiation signals. Reducing the feed intake level or feeding frequency can affect digestibility and transit time and induce metabolic changes. To reduce feed costs, alternative ingredients that are frequently rich in dietary fibre are added to diets. Fibre acts on the digestion process and transit time by decreasing energy density and causing viscosity. Various analyses of fibre can be realised, and the measured fibre fraction can vary. Exogenous enzymes can be added to counteract the effect of fibre, but digestive tract conditions, influenced by meal size and frequency, can affect the efficiency of supplemented enzymes. In conclusion, the frequency and size of the meals can affect the digestibility of nutrients by modulating gastrointestinal tract conditions (pH and transit time), metabolites (glucose and short-chain fatty acids) and hormones (glucagon-like peptide 1 and peptide tyrosine tyrosine).

Wheat bran inclusion level impacts its net energy by shaping gut microbiota and regulating heat production in gestating sows

“…Increasing insoluble fiber in the diet decreases the mean retention time in the small and large intestine of pigs ( Wilfart et al., 2007 ). The increased DM intake causes a large volume of intestinal contents, which can exert a direct physical action on the intestine and thus stimulate gastrointestinal transit ( Chasse et al., 2021 ). In addition, high chyme viscosity due to soluble fiber hinders contact between chyme and digestive enzymes ( Gutierrez et al., 1994 ).…”

Effects of Brewer Grain Meal with Enzyme Combination on Growth Performance, Nutrient Digestibility, Intestinal Morphology, Immunity, and Oxidative Status in Growing Pigs

“…The mode of action of an enzyme combination (amylase, xylanase, β-glucanase, lipase, cellulase, β-mannanase phytase, and pectinase) may drive substrate availability for bacterial growth changes [40]. This combination of enzymes may result in a reduction in gut viscosity and nutrient caging with long fiber chains, as well as large and nonadherent layers, resulting in increased nutrient uptake across the gut barrier [41]. This is in line with observations made by Kim et al [42], who observed increased VH and VH/CD and decreased CD in pigs fed an SBM-based diet supplemented with a 0.1% enzyme combination containing amylase, proteinase, phytase, mannanase, and xylanase.…”

Influence of Sugar Beet Pulp Supplementation on Pigs’ Health and Production Quality

“…Many alternative feed materials contain more fibre than the traditional feed stock they replace; therefore, their inclusion increases the amount of dietary fibre [ 12 , 13 ]. Increased dietary fibre is a concern because the ability of young pigs to digest fibre is limited [ 14 , 15 ]. Sugar beet pulp (SBP), which is the co-product of sugar beet processing, with a global production of up to 189 mln tons in 2021/2022, is a fibre-rich feed [ 16 ].…”