Comparative digestibility and productive performances between Landrace and Iberian pigs fed on a corn- or a sorghum-acorn- based diet

Although digestible energy (DE) values for most commonly used feeds in pig industry are mainly predicted by their chemical composition, other likely effects could affect digestibility. The present paper try to explore the effects likely caused by animal breed (lean v. fat line) and dietary ingredients used

Variabilidad de peso vivo: Efectos sobre el rendimiento y la gestión de los cebaderos porcinos

publishedTomo I . Sección: Sistemas Ganaderos-Economía y Gestión. Sesión: Conejos, abejas, peces y cerdos. Ponencia nº 2

Ileum and whole-tract digestibility of carbohydrates contained in a corn- or a sorghum-acorn-based diets fed on finishing Landrace and Iberian pigs

Starch is the storage polysaccharide of higher plants and a major source for animals. However, despite is its simple composition the digestion of starch may be dependent of feed ingredients and animal characteristics

An increased hindgut fermentation promoted major changes on the VFA profile but not on the total VFA concetration of the digesta contents

Volatile fatty acids, principally acetate, propionate and butyrate, are produced in the caecum-colon of pigs as end products of the microbial fermentation. The present abstract tryes to explore on the changes on the VFA concentration and profiles observed in Landrace and Iberian pigs fed on different sources of carbohydrates (high v. low digestible starch)

Lipogenic enzyme activities in adipose and muscular tissues of Landrace and Iberian pigs fed on different source of carbohydrates

Iberian is an autochthonous swine breed from Southwest Iberian Peninsula. His meat has attained a high acceptability attributed to a higher intramuscular fat. Gene and dietary effects on the lipogenic enzymes activities were evaluated

Body fat content, composition and distribution in Landrace and Iberian finishing pigs given ad libitum maize- and acorn-sorghummaize-based diets

We aimed to determine whether the dietary carbohydrate source altered body fat composition and distribution in finishing lean (Landrace) and obese (Iberian) swine. To this end, twenty-four finishing castrated male pigs (12 Iberian and 12 Landrace; 108 kg live weight) were offered two diets differing in the main carbohydrates source, maize (diet M) or acorn-sorghum-maize (diet A). Diets were formulated to have the same nutrient content, except for carbohydrate fractions : diet M contained higher amount of starch (537 v.389 g/kg) but less non-starchpolysaccharides (118 v.148 g/ kg) than diet A. At an average weight of 133 kg live weight pigs were slaughtered and their carcasses were sampled to study lipogenesis, backfat and intramuscular fat composition. Iberian pigs showed a higher voluntary food intake than Landrace pigs (3•6 v.2•4 kg/day; P< 0•001) but no significant differences in the daily weight gain. Diet M tended to promote the highest food intake (P= 0•09). Iberian pigs showed higher (P< 0•01) lipogenic enzyme activities, backfat thickness (71•7v.31•9 mm) and intramuscular fat content (40 to 95 g/kg fresh muscle) than Landrace pigs, which was associated with their higher food intake. Furthermore, fat depots from Iberian pigs had higher (P< 0•001) monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) and lower (P< 0•05) polyunsaturated (PUFA) proportions than those from Landrace pigs. The backfat thickness of pigs given diet M tended to be higher (P= 0•07) than that of pigs given diet A, without differences in the intramuscular fat content. The higher backfat thickness found for diet M was correlated with a lower PUFA proportion in diet than for diet A (P< 0•001). we conclude that body fat content, composition and lipogenic enzyme activities are markedly influenced by the animal breed and to a lesser extent by dietary characteristics

Generation of a Conditional Allele of the Transcription Factor Atonal Homolog 8 (Atoh8)

Atonal Homolog 8 (Atoh8) is a basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) transcription factor that is highly conserved across species and expressed in multiple tissues during embryogenesis. In the developing pancreas, Atoh8 is expressed in endocrine progenitors but declines in hormone-positive cells, suggesting a role during early stages of the endocrine differentiation program. We previously generated a whole-body Atoh8 knockout but early lethality of null embryos precluded assessment of Atoh8 functions during organ development. Here we report the generation of a conditional Atoh8 knockout mouse strain by insertion of two loxP sites flanking exon 1 of the Atoh8 gene. Pancreas-specific Atoh8 knockout (Atoh8 Δpanc) mice were obtained by mating this strain with a Pdx1-Cre transgenic line. Atoh8 Δpanc mice were born at the expected mendelian ratio and showed normal appearance and fertility. Pancreas weight and gross pancreatic morphology were normal. All pancreatic cell lineages were present, although endocrine δ (somatostatin) cells were modestly augmented in Atoh8 Δpanc as compared to control neonates. This increase did not affect whole-body glucose tolerance in adult knockout animals. Gene expression analysis in embryonic pancreases at the time of the major endocrine differentiation wave revealed modest alterations in several early endocrine differentiation markers. Together, these data argue that Atoh8 modulates activation of the endocrine program but it is not essential for pancreas formation or endocrine differentiation in the mouse. Given the ubiquitous expression pattern of Atoh8, the availability of a mouse strain carrying a conditional allele for this gene warrants further studies using temporally regulated Cre transgenic lines to elucidate time or cell-autonomous functions of Atoh8 during development and in the adult

Effect of maternal feed intake during mid-gestation on pig performance, meat quality and muscle fiber development

Increasing feed allowance during gestation has been related with changes in muscle fiber development and pig performance post-natally, affecting meat quality traits at slaughter