Method for Improving the Metabolic Stability and Survival of Newborn Pigs

The disclosed invention concerns improving the metabolic stability of newborn pigs and increasing their survival rate by administering to a pregnant sow during its late stages of gestation an effective amount of a material selected from the group consisting of a dihydroxy alkanol having 3 to 10 carbon atoms, a triglyceride of glycerol and fatty acids containing 8 to 12 carbon atoms and the mono-and diol esters of said alkanols and said fatty acids

The Effects of Protein Level and Age on Performance, Carcass Characteristics and Nutrient Digestibility of Growing-finishing Swine

The present trends toward the meat type hog and the consumer\u27s demand for lean cuts have resulted in the investigation of methods to produce leaner pigs. During recent years there has been considerable interest in the effect of dietary protein levels on growth rate, feed efficiency and carcass characteristics of swine. Several reports have indicated that increased dietary protein levels may improve growth performance and/or carcass leanness without adversely affecting the quality of the pork produced. However, little research has been conducted to show if this decrease in carcass quality of pigs fed a low protein diet could be at least partially due to differences in age, not protein per se. Pigs fed low protein diets have been shown to reach market weight at an older age due to a decreased rate of gain. Carcass development of swine is characterized by a period of rapid muscle growth from birth to approximately eighty days of age; a transition period from 80 to approximately 120 days of age where the rate of muscle development stabilizes and then a stage of increased fat deposition from 120 days of age to slaughter. Thus, this increased fat to lean ratio in carcasses of pigs fed the low protein diets could be due to the longer period of time that these animals are in the stage of relatively high fat deposition compared to pigs fed high protein levels. The objectives of this study were to determine the effect of dietary protein level and age on the following characteristics of growing-finishing swine: 1. Growth rate 2. Feed efficiency 3. Carcass composition 4. Consumer acceptability and cooking characteristics of the longissimus dorsi muscle 5. Apparent ration digestibility

Method for Improving the Metabolic Stability and Survival of Neonatal Pigs

A method of improving the metabolic stability of neonatal pigs and increasing their survival rate by administering to the pregnant sow during its latter stages of gestation up to about 80 days prior to parturition an effective amount of a material selected from the group consisting of a dihydroxy alkanol having 3 to 10 carbon atoms; a triglyceride of glycerol and fatty acids wherein at least one of the fatty acid moieties containing 8 to 12 carbon atoms with the remaining acid moieties containing 13 to 20 carbon atoms; the mono and diol esters of said alkanols and said fatty acids wherein at least one of the fatty acid moieties contains 8 to 12 carbon atoms with the remaining acid moieties containing 13 to 20 carbon atoms; and the ester of said dihydroxy alkanol and fatty acids containing 13 to 20 carbon atoms

Effect of Dietary Protein Level and Feed Restriction on Growth and Carcass Characteristics of Growing-Finishing Swine

Research has shown that pigs fed low dietary protein levels are older at slaughter due to depressed grwoth rate, require more feed per unit of gain and have decreased carcass leanness and increased intramuscular fat. However, increased age at slaughter due to a restricted energy intake does not adversely affect feed efficiency and has the opposite effect on carcass quality in that carcasses have less fat and more lean. The objectives of this study were to determine the effects of dietary protein level and feed restriction on performance and carcass characteristics

Effect of Dietary Energy Source and Free Choice Feeding on Performance of High Lean Pigs

The effects of dietary energy sources in corn on the growth responses and carcass composition of high lean pigs fed from 55 to 110 kg body weight were evaluated. Low fiber composite corns were created by replacing the fiber in normal corn with isocaloric amounts of either corn starch or corn oil. Feeding the low fiber, composite corns reduced the amount of feed required per unit of body weight compared with that of pigs fed the high fiber, normal corns. However, the daily body weight and muscle gains and efficiency of metabolizable energy (ME) utilization for body weight and muscle gain were similar among pigs fed the low and high fiber corns. Body composition (backfat, loin muscle area, and muscle mass) at 110 kg body weight also were similar among corn treatments. When given the choice between the normal and composite corns, pigs consumed more of the low fiber composite corn with added fat but not with added starch. The feed required per unit of gain also was reduced in pigs allowed free choice access to normal and composite corns compared with pigs self-fed the normal corns. Pig growth and body composition were not altered by free choice selection of normal and composite corns

Dietary Folic Acid Needs of High Lean Growth Pigs

Twelve sets of five littermate barrows were utilized to determine the folic acid needs of a high lean genetic strain of pigs experiencing a low level of immune system activation. Pigs were penned individually and given ad libitum access to a corn, soybean meal, 27% milk product diet containing dietary concentrations of folic acid equivalent to 100, 200, 300, 400, and 500% of the current NRC (2) estimated requirement for 11 to 22 lb pigs. Pigs were started on test when the average litter weight reached 19 pounds and were taken off test as individual pigs reached a body weight of 51 pounds. Dietary folic acid concentration did not alter daily body weight gain, daily feed intake, feed:gain ratio, or rates of body protein and fat accretion. Based on these data, a dietary folic acid concentration of 0.14 mg per pound of feed is adequate to support optimal growth and body nutrient accretion in high lean growth pigs fed corn-soybean meal-milk product diets from 19 to 51 pounds

Dietary Available Phosphorus Needs of Pigs From 13 to 70 Pounds Body Weight

Pigs were self-fed one of six dietary concentrations (.20, .30, .40, .50, .60, .70%) of available phosphorus (AP) from 13 to 70 pounds body weight. Dietary available phosphorus concentrations of at least .50, .40, and .40% were needed for pigs weighing 23, 43, and 63 pounds, respectively, to maximize daily body weight gains and gain:feed ratios. Based on these data, the dietary AP needs of 13- to 70-pound pigs experiencing a moderate level of antigen exposure are 1.25 to 1.5 times greater than current NRC (1) estimates for similar weight pigs

The Digestiblity of Phosphorus in Dicalcium Phosphate in Pigs

The digestibiltiy of P in dicalcium phosphate, a P source considered to have a high relative bioavailability , was determined to be 68.1 % in pigs. The digestibility of the phosphorus was not altered by dietary calcium/available P ratio or stage of pig growth (10 vs 30 kg body weight).These data highlight the opportunity/incentive for technologies aimed at improving P digestibility in P sources (inorganic P sources) with high relative phosphorus bioavailabilities

Role of Pantothenic Acid as a Modifier of Body Composition in Pigs

Pigs were fed one of four dietary additions of pantothenic acid (PA, 0, 30, 60, and 120 ppm) to determine the effect of PA additions on growth, body composition, and meat quality of pigs fed from 10 to 115 kg of body weight (BW). Fifteen sets (7 barrows, 8 gilts) of four littermate pigs from a high lean strain were used. Pigs were individually penned and reared via SEW scheme. Pigs were self-fed a diet containing 19 ppm PA from weaning to 10 kg BW. Pigs were then fed a 6 ppm PA basal diet and allotted within litter to one of four dietary additions of PA from d-calcium pantothenate. As dietary PA concentration increased, longissimus muscle area increased quadratically (43.9, 48.0, 45.4, 47.5 cm2, P = .06) and 10th rib backfat decreased quadratically (2.25, 2.04, 2.07, 1.95 cm, P \u3c .05) resulting in a quadratic increase in fat-free lean (51.4, 53.4, 52.5, 53.6%, P \u3c .04). Daily body weight gain (933, 916, 940, 914 g) and feed:gain (2.34, 2.32, 2.34, 2.33 kg/kg) were not altered by dietary PA. In addition, measures of meat (longissimus) quality, including intramuscular fat content (4.4, 4.2, 4.6, 4.0%), Hunter L (54.5, 54.2, 54.3, 54.3), and Hunter a (8.7, 9.1, 8.9, 8.5) color values and water loss under retail storage (4.7, 4.9, 5.1, 4.7%) at 96 hours post-kill were not (P \u3e .10) altered by dietary PA. Based on these data, dietary pantothenic acid at concentrations greater than that required to maximize body weight gain elicits reductions in subcutaneous fat thickness while increasing carcass lean content of market weight pigs without altering meat quality

Efficacy of Pantothenic Acid as a Modifier of Body Composition in a Porcine Model of Obesity Development

Our group’s previous research has shown that pantothenic acid (PA) fed in amounts above that needed to maximize body growth effectively reduce fat tissue accretion in pigs. In the current study, the efficacy of PA to minimize fatty tissue accretion in a porcine model of obesity development was determined. Heavy weight pigs (156 kg) were allotted to one of four dietary regimens consisting of a basal diet (8 ppm PA) supplemented with 0, 80, 800, 8000 ppm added PA. The basal diet contained a dietary nutrient mix representative of the American diet (34 % of calories from fat) at daily caloric intakes equivalent to 1.8 times the animal’s maintenance needs for 144 days. A state of obesity development occurred over the duration of the study. Specifically, pigs accrued 73 kg of body weight, of which 48 % was fat tissue. Whole body fat tissue content responded quadratically to increasing PA additions. Body fat percentage was reduced by .9 percentage units by the 80 ppm added PA and increased by 1.6 and 1.1 percentage units by the 800 and 8000 ppm added PA. Based on these data, PA is not an efficient modifier of body composition in a porcine model of obesity development induced by a high fat dietary regimen