Evaluation of Extreme Thermal Processing Methods to Improve Nutrient Utilization of Low-Energy Diets for Finishing Pigs

A total of 270 pigs (PIC 337 × 1050; initially 115.7 lb) were used in a 79-d experiment to determine the effects of long-term conditioning or extrusion on finishing pig nutrient digestibility, growth performance, and carcass characteristics. There were 7 or 8 pigs per pen and 9 pens per treatment. Treatments included the same basal diet processed as: 1) nonprocessed mash; 2) pelleted with 45-s conditioner retention time; 3) pelleted with 90-s conditioner retention time; or 4) extruded. Diets were fed in three phases with the same low-energy diet formulation fed across treatments, containing 30% corn dried distillers grains with solubles and 19% wheat middlings. Pigs fed thermally processed feed, regardless of method, had improved ADG, F/G, ether extract, and crude fiber apparent total tract digestibility (P \u3c 0.05) compared to those fed the mash diet, but thermal processing did not affect ADFI . Extruded diets tended to improve F/G compared to pelleted diets (P = 0.09). Pigs fed any thermally processed treatment had greater HCW compared to those fed mash (P \u3c 0.05). Improvements in fat and crude fiber digestibility (P \u3c 0.05) led to improved caloric efficiency in pigs fed thermally processed diets. Thermal processing did not influence percentage yield, backfat, or loin depth when HCW was used as a covariate. However, pigs fed thermally processed diets had greater jowl fat iodine value compared to those fed mash diets (P \u3c 0.05). Electrical energy usage during thermal processing was recorded. Pigs fed mash diets had greater (P \u3c 0.05) cost per lb of gain, as well as reduced gain value and income over feed costs, compared to those fed thermally processed diets. This experiment confirms the benefits of thermally processing feeds to improve ADG and F/G, but compromises carcass fat iodine value. Additionally, this research suggests that more extreme thermal processing conditions may be used without hindering nutrient utilization

Finely Grinding Cereal Grains in Pelleted Diets Offers Little Improvement in Nursery Pig Growth Performance

Five experiments were conducted to determine the effects of corn particle size and diet form on nursery pig performance and feed preference. In Exp. 1, 192 nursery pigs (PIC 327 × 1050; initially 14.7 lb and 26 d of age) were used in a 35-d experiment. Pens of pigs were balanced by BW and allotted to 1 of 4 treatments with 6 pigs per pen and 8 pens per treatment. The same corn and soybean meal-based diet formulation was used for all treatments. The 2 × 2 factorial consisted of the main effects of corn particle size (400 vs. 700 μm) and diet form (mash vs. pelleted). Pigs fed mash diets had improved overall ADG and greater ADFI during all periods (P \u3c 0.05) and particle size did not impact (P \u3e 0.10) performance. In Exp. 2, a study utilized 96 pigs to evaluate feed preference of pigs consuming mash diets with either 400 or 700 μm corn. Pigs overwhelmingly (P \u3c 0.05) preferred to consume 700 μm corn compared to 400 μm corn (79.3 vs. 20.7%). In Exp. 3, 224 nursery pigs (PIC 327 × 1050; initially 24.1 lb and 40 d of age) were used in a 10-d experiment to determine the effects of corn particle size in pelleted diets on nursery pig performance. Experimental treatments were formed by grinding corn to 1 of 4 different particle sizes (250, 400, 550, or 700 μm). Particle size tended to affect (P \u3c 0.10) ADG in a quadratic manner, but did not impact (P \u3e 0.10) ADFI or F/G. Pigs fed pelleted diets from either 250 or 700 μm corn had poorer ADG than the intermediate treatments. Exp. 4 utilized 91 pigs to evaluate the preference of pigs consuming pelleted diets with either 250 or 700 μm corn from Exp. 3. Even in pelleted form, pigs preferred (P \u3c 0.05) to consume diets manufactured with the coarser particle size corn (58.2 vs. 41.8%). In Exp. 5, 180 nursery pigs (PIC 327 × 1050; initially 15.8 lb and 36 d of age) were used in a 35-d experiment to determine the effects of corn particle size and pelleting on nursery pig growth performance. The 2 × 2 factorial consisted of 2 corn particle sizes (500 μm vs. 750 μm) and two diet forms (mash vs. pelleted). Overall, reducing particle size from 750 to 500 μm did not affect growth performance (P \u3e 0.10). Pelleting reduced (P \u3c 0.05) feed intake, but did not affect ADG or F/G (P \u3e 0.10). These studies suggest that there is little value to be gained by grinding corn to less than 700 microns if fed in pelleted form. Furthermore, our data suggest that, regardless if fed as mash or pellets, pigs prefer to consume diets manufactured with coarser ground corn if given the choice

Evaluating the Accuracy of the 3-Sieve Particle Size Analysis Method Compared to the 12-Sieve Method

The 3-sieve particle size analysis method was developed to estimate the particle size of ground grain within feed mills without the time and expense required for a 12-sieve analysis. The 3-sieve method is more simplistic because it is hand-shaken and uses fewer sieves but has drawbacks because it is not as precise as the 12-sieve method. Because shaking is not automated, technician variation may impact results. Furthermore, the accuracy of the original 3-sieve method has been questioned because the method was developed for corn between 400 to 1,200 μm, and the industry now grinds various grains more finely. Some variations, such as changing the top sieve to a smaller diameter hole or using flow agent, may help improve its accuracy. In this instance, 420 grain samples were used to determine the impact of top sieve size, grain type, technician, and flow agent on the ability of a 3-sieve analytical method to accurately predict the mean particle size determined by a standardized 12-sieve method. The experiment was a 3 × 2 × 2 × 3 factorial with three technicians, two sieve sizes (U.S. No. 12 vs. 16 sieve as the top sieve), flow agent (0 vs. 0.5 g), and three grain types (corn, sorghum, or wheat). Prior to the experiment, all samples were analyzed according to the standard ASAE S319.4 method using a 12-sieve stack with a 15-min tap time and 1 g of flow agent. Linear regression was used to develop individual equations to predict the mean particle size for each of the 3-sieve methods compared to the standard 12-sieve method, and the GLIMMIX procedure of SAS was used to evaluate the impact main effects and interactions on prediction accuracy. All interactions were removed from the model due to insignificance (P \u3e 0.10). Technician, screen size, and flow agent did not affect the accuracy of the prediction equations. Grain was the only main effect of significance (P \u3c 0.05), where the prediction equation overestimated the particle size of wheat by approximately 15 μm and underestimated the particle size of corn by approximately 12 μm. While statistically significant, these variations were deemed to be sufficiently accurate for the 3-sieve method, and separate equations for each grain type were not warranted to retain the simplicity of the method. In summary, technician, sieve size, grain type, and the use of flow agent did not greatly affect the accuracy of the 3-sieve particle size analytical method, so the original method was concluded to be accurate and the preferred method

Efficacy and safety of procalcitonin guidance in reducing the duration of antibiotic treatment in critically ill patients: A randomised, controlled, open-label trial

Background: In critically ill patients, antibiotic therapy is of great importance but long duration of treatment is associated with the development of antimicrobial resistance. Procalcitonin is a marker used to guide antibacterial therapy and reduce its duration, but data about safety of this reduction are scarce. We assessed the efficacy and safety of procalcitonin-guided antibiotic treatment in patients in intensive care units (ICUs) in a health-care system with a comparatively low use of antibiotics. Methods: We did a prospective, multicentre, randomised, controlled, open-label intervention trial in 15 hospitals in the Netherlands. Critically ill patients aged at least 18 years, admitted to the ICU, and who received their first dose of antibiotics no longer than 24 h before inclusion in the study for an assumed or proven infection were eligible to participate. Patients who received antibiotics for presumed infection were randomly assigned (1:1), using a computer-generated list, and stratified (according to treatment centre, whether infection was acquired before or during ICU stay, and dependent on severity of infection [ie, sepsis, severe sepsis, or septic shock]) to receive either procalcitonin-guided or standard-of-care antibiotic discontinuation. Both patients and investigators were aware of group assignment. In the procalcitonin-guided group, a non-binding advice to discontinue antibiotics was provided if procalcitonin concentration had decreased by 80% or more of its peak value or to 0·5 μg/L or lower. In the standard-of-care group, patients were treated according to local antibiotic protocols. Primary endpoints were antibiotic daily defined doses and duration of antibiotic treatment. All analyses were done by intention to treat. Mortality analyses were completed for all patients (intention to treat) and for patients in whom antibiotics were stopped while being on the ICU (per-protocol analysis). Safety endpoints were reinstitution of antibiotics and recurrent inflammation measured by C-reactive protein concentrations and they were measured in the population adhering to the stopping rules (per-protocol analysis). The study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT01139489, and was completed in August, 2014. Findings: Between Sept 18, 2009, and July 1, 2013, 1575 of the 4507 patients assessed for eligibility were randomly assigned to the procalcitonin-guided group (761) or to standard-of-care (785). In 538 patients (71%) in the procalcitonin-guided group antibiotics were discontinued in the ICU. Median consumption of antibiotics was 7·5 daily defined doses (IQR 4·0-12·7) in the procalcitonin-guided group versus 9·3 daily defined doses (5·0-16·6) in the standard-of-care group (between-group absolute difference 2·69, 95% CI 1·26-4·12,