Evaluation of digestively resistant or soluble fibers, short- and medium-chain fatty acids, trace minerals, and antibiotics in nonchallenged nursery pigs on performance, digestibility, and intestinal integrity

Authors: Kerr, Brian; Trachsel, Julian; Bearson, Bradley - Brad; Loving, Crystal; Bearson, Shawn; Byrne, Kristen; Pearce, Sarah; RAMIREZ, SHELBY - Dsm; GABLER, NICHOLAS - Iowa State University; SCHWEER, WESLEY - Zinpro Corporation; HELM, EMMA - Iowa State University; DE MILLE, CARSON - Iowa State University

Submitted to: Journal of Animal Science
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/15/2022
Publication Date: 11/17/2022
Citation: Kerr, B.J., Trachsel, J.M., Bearson, B.L., Loving, C.L., Bearson, S.M., Byrne, K.A., Pearce, S.C., Ramirez, S.M., Gabler, N.K., Schweer, W.P., Helm, E.T., De Mille, C.M. 2022. Evaluation of digestively resistant or soluble fibers, short- and medium-chain fatty acids, trace minerals, and antibiotics in nonchallenged nursery pigs on performance, digestibility, and intestinal integrity. Journal of Animal Science. 100(11). Article skac282. https://doi.org/10.1093/jas/skac282.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/jas/skac282

Interpretive Summary: In-feed antimicrobials have been an important technology in swine production for protecting health and supporting growth. However, with legislative restrictions on the use of most antibiotics for growth promotion, research is needed to evaluate in-feed additives in replacing this growth promoting technology. Thus, strategies to enhance energy and nutrient digestibility, intestinal function and integrity, gastrointestinal volatile fatty acid concentrations, and microbial ecology in nursery pigs are desirable targets. The results of the 3 experiments conducted herein do not indicate that supplementing diets with digestively resistant but fermentable fibers, short-medium-chain fatty acids, or antibiotics have a consistent positive or negative effect on markers of intestinal integrity or barrier function, ileal, cecal, or colon VFA patterns, ATTD of energy and nutrients, or on pig performance. This information is important for nutritionists at universities, feed companies, and pig production facilities determining of the impact of various non-antibiotic additives on animal performance and different biological processes within young pigs.

Technical Abstract: Three experiments (EXP) were conducted to determine the effect of feed additives on pig performance, intestinal integrity, gastrointestinal volatile fatty acids, and energy and nutrient digestion in nursery pigs. In EXP 1, 480 weaned pigs (body weight, BW: 6.36 kg) were placed into 96 pens with 5 pigs/pen, and allotted to 1 of 10 dietary treatments: 1) negative control containing no feed additive (NC), 2) NC + 44 mg chlortetracycline and 38.5 mg tiamulin/kg diet (CTsb), 3) NC + 5% resistant potato starch (RSpo), 4) NC + 5% soluble corn fiber (SCF), 5) NC + 5% sugar beet pulp (SBP), 6: NC + 0.30% fatty acid mix (FAM), 7) NC + 0.10% phytogenic blend of essential oils and natural flavoring compounds (PHY), 8) NC + 50 mg Cu and 1,600 mg zinc oxide/kg diet (CuZn), 9) NC + 5% resistant corn starch (RScn), and 10) NC + 0.05% ß-glucan (BG). Pigs were fed their respective experimental diets for 28 d in a 3-phase feeding regimen to assess pig performance, apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD) of energy and nutrients, and microbial ecology. In EXP 2, 48 barrows (BW = 12.8 kg) were selected at the end of EXP 1 and placed into metabolism crates being fed four of the same Phase-2 dietary treatments they had previously received: 1) NC, 2) NC + 5% RScn, 3) NC + 5% SCF, and 4) NC + FAM. Feces were collected for determining ATTD of energy and nutrients, urine for in vitro measures of intestinal integrity following an intragastric gavage of lactulose, mannitol, sucralose, and fluorescein isothiocyanate-labeled dextran, ileal and colon tissue for ex vivo assessment of intestinal integrity and barrier function, and ileum and colon contents for volatile fatty acid (VFA) analysis. In EXP 3, 156 weaned pigs (BW = 6.11 kg) were placed into 52 pens with 3 pigs/pen and allotted to 1 of 4 dietary treatments arranged in a factorial manner: 1) NC, 2) NC + 5% RSpo, 3) NC + 0.30% FAM, and 4) NC + 5% RSpo + 0.30% FAM. Pigs were fed their respective experimental diets for 24 d in a 2-phase feeding regimen. In addition to performance data, cecal and colon contents were collected from 1 pig per pen for VFA analyses. Collectively, the results of these 3 experiments do not indicate that supplementing diets with digestively resistant but fermentable fibers, short-medium-chain fatty acids, or antibiotics have a consistent positive or negative effect on markers of intestinal integrity or barrier function, ileal, cecal, or colon VFA patterns, ATTD of energy and nutrients, or on pig performance.