Partial Replacement of Vitamin E with Polyphenol in Nursery Pig Diets

A total of 300 pigs (241 × 600 DNA; initially 13.1 lb) were used in a 42-d trial to determine the effects of vitamin E levels and partially replacing vitamin E with a polyphenol (Cabanin CSD; R2 Agro, Denmark) on growth performance, complete blood count (CBC), serum thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and cytokine panel. Sixty pens of pigs were weighed and allotted to 1 of 5 dietary treatments in a completely randomized design with 12 pens per treatment. A control treatment was formulated to provide 15 IU/kg of vitamin E equivalence from vitamin E. This control treatment was then used as a base for 3 replacement strategy diets to determine the effects of replacing an additional 60 IU/kg of vitamin E with Cabanin CSD in diets containing a basal level of vitamin E requirement estimate (15 IU/kg). First, an additional 60 IU/kg of vitamin E was added for a total of 75 IU/kg of vitamin E equivalence. Second, 50% of the additional vitamin E (30 IU/kg) was replaced with the equivalency of Cabanin CSD. Third, all 60 IU/kg of the additional vitamin E was replaced with the equivalency of Cabanin CSD. To evaluate whether there are negative effects of feeding nursery pigs a high level of Cabanin CSD, a fifth treatment was formulated to provide 575 IU/kg of vitamin E equivalence with 75 IU/kg from vitamin E and 500 IU/kg from Cabanin CSD. Whole blood and serum samples were collected on d 10 and 42. For growth performance, increasing vitamin E equivalence tended to improve (quadratic, P \u3c 0.10) F/G from d 10 to 21, and tended to improve (linear, P \u3c 0.10) F/G from d 21 to 42 and 0 to 42. For antioxidant status, increasing vitamin E equivalence improved (linear, P \u3c 0.05) d 42 SOD. For cytokine, there was no evidence of differences (P \u3e 0.10) between treatments and vitamin E equivalence. Moreover, there was no evidence of differences (P \u3e 0.10) in all response variables between the 3 replacement strategies throughout the entire period. In summary, increasing vitamin E equivalence tended to improve F/G, which may be related to the improved SOD activity. Furthermore, Cabanin CSD can effectively replace vitamin E provided above the vitamin E requirement to provide similar benefits from increasing vitamin E equivalence

Impact of Dietary Supplementation of <i>Lactic Acid Bacteria</i> Fermented Rapeseed with or without Macroalgae on Performance and Health of Piglets Following Omission of Medicinal Zinc from Weaner Diets

The feeding of medicinal zinc oxide (ZnO) to weaner piglets will be phased out after 2022 in Europe, leaving pig producers without options to manage post-weaning disorders. This study assessed whether rapeseed meal, fermented alone (FRM) or co-fermented with a single (Ascophylum nodosum; FRMA), or two (A. nodossum and Saccharina latissima; FRMAS) brown macroalagae species, could improve weaner piglet performance and stimulate intestinal development as well as maturation of gut microbiota in the absence of in-feed zinc. Weaned piglets (n = 1240) were fed, during 28&ndash;85 days of age, a basal diet with no additives (negative control; NC), 2500 ppm in-feed ZnO (positive control; PC), FRM, FRMA or FRMAS. Piglets fed FRM and FRMA had a similar or numerically improved, respectively, production performance compared to PC piglets. Jejunal villus development was stimulated over NC in PC, FRM and FRMAS (gender-specific). FRM enhanced colon mucosal development and reduced signs of intestinal inflammation. All fermented feeds and PC induced similar changes in the composition and diversity of colon microbiota compared to NC. In conclusion, piglet performance, intestinal development and health indicators were sustained or numerically improved when in-feed zinc was replaced by FRM

The multi-actor PPILOW European project: a participative approach to co-build innovations for welfare improvement in organic pig and poultry farms

International audienc

The multi-actor PPILOW European project: a participative approach to co-build innovations for welfare improvement in organic pig and poultry farms

International audienc

The multi-actor PPILOW European project: a participative approach to co-build innovations for welfare improvement in organic pig and poultry farms

International audienc

PPILOW: innovations for improving animal welfare and human well-being in low-input outdoor and organic poultry and pig production systems

International audienc

PPILOW: innovations for improving animal welfare and human well-being in low-input outdoor and organic poultry and pig production systems

International audienc

PPILOW: innovations for improving animal welfare and human well-being in low-input outdoor and organic poultry and pig production systems

International audienc