Feed flavour supplementation improves kinetics of intake and feeding behaviour pattern of lactating sows in a tropical climate

Phytogenic Bioactive Compounds in the Diet of Lactating Sows, Litter Performance, and Milk Characteristics

The objective was to evaluate the effect of phytogenic supplementation in the feed of lactating sows on the performance parameters of sows and suckling piglets. Ninety-three lactating sows of commercial lines (sows TN70) were distributed in a completely randomized design. The treatments adopted were a control diet without phytogenics (control) and a control diet with phytogenic supplementation in the feed. Performance parameters and the behaviors of sows and piglets were evaluated, in addition to milk composition and the biochemical parameters of the animals. The use of phytogenics did not affect the feed intake or tissue mobilization of the sows. However, it improved the production and quality of milk and reduced the possibility of light piglets at weaning by 22.16 percentage points. Regarding biochemical parameters, phytogenics improved animal recovery in the lactation period, as proven by an increase in the serum concentration of total protein and urea. Sows that received phytogenics exhibited increased behaviors of inactivity (3.16%), breastfeeding (1.15%), and water consumption (0.95%). In conclusion, using phytogenics in the feed of lactating sows improves the performance of the litters without affecting the body condition of the sows, with increased milk production and enhanced protein and lactose concentration.

Screening of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from liquid fungal cultures using ambient mass spectrometry

The potential of fungi for use as biotechnological factories in the production of a range of valuable metabolites, such as enzymes, terpenes, and volatile aroma compounds, is high. Unlike other microorganisms, fungi mostly secrete secondary metabolites into the culture medium, allowing for easy extraction and analysis. To date, the most commonly used technique in the analysis of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) is gas chromatography, which is time and labour consuming. We propose an alternative ambient screening method that provides rapid chemical information for characterising the VOCs of filamentous fungi in liquid culture using a commercially available ambient dielectric barrier discharge ionisation (DBDI) source connected to a quadrupole-Orbitrap mass spectrometer. The effects of method parameters on measured peak intensities of a series of 8 selected aroma standards were optimised with the best conditions being selected for sample analysis. The developed method was then deployed to the screening of VOCs from samples of 13 fungal strains in three different types of complex growth media showing clear differences in VOC profiles across the different media, enabling determination of best culturing conditions for each compound-strain combination. Our findings underline the applicability of ambient DBDI for the direct detection and comparison of aroma compounds produced by filamentous fungi in liquid culture.

Effect of lactation and nursery diets supplemented with a feed flavor on sow feed intake and lactation performance and subsequent weaned pig nursery performance

A total of 105 sows (Line 241, DNA, Columbus, NE) were used across four batch farrowing groups to evaluate the effects of feeding a feed flavor in lactation diets on sow and litter performance. Sow groups 1 and 2 farrowed in an old farrowing facility during the summer months and groups 3 and 4 farrowed in a new farrowing facility during the winter months. Sows were blocked by body weight (BW) within parity on days 110 of gestation and allotted to 1 of 2 dietary treatments. Dietary treatments were a standard corn-soy-based lactation diet (control) or the control diet with the addition of a feed flavor at 0.05% of diet (Krave AP, Adisseo, Alpharetta, GA, USA). Farrowing facility environment had a large impact and resulted in many interactions with the feed flavor treatment. From farrowing to weaning, sows fed the feed flavor in the old farrowing house tended to have a higher (P = 0.058) lactation feed intake, while no difference in average daily feed intake (ADFI) was observed in the new farrowing house. Pigs weaned from sows fed with the feed flavor in the old farrowing facility had a higher (P = 0.026) BW at weaning and piglet average daily gain (ADG) from day 2 to weaning (P = 0.001) compared to piglets from sows not fed with the feed flavor; whereas the opposite occurred in the new farrowing house. Progeny from one farrowing group in the old farrowing facility was followed into the nursery. A total of 360 weaned pigs (DNA 241 × 600: initially 5.7 kg) were used in a 2 × 2 factorial in the nursery portion of the study to evaluate the effects of previous sow feed flavoring treatment (control vs. flavor) and nursery diets formulated with or without a feed flavor on growth performance in a 38-d trial. Nursery treatments were either a control diet or a diet containing a feed flavor (Delistart #NA 21, Adisseo). Offspring from sows fed with the flavor diet were heavier at weaning (P < 0.001) which was maintained throughout the study. Overall, progeny from sows fed with a diet containing a feed flavor had greater (P < 0.05) ADG, ADFI, and final BW during the trial. The presence of a feed flavor in the nursery did not improve overall nursery performance. In conclusion, when sow lactation feed intake was increased in the old farrowing house, pigs weaned from sows fed with the flavor diet were heavier (P = 0.039) at weaning compared to pigs weaned from sows fed with the control diet. Adding the feed flavor increased sow feed intake and piglet ADG in a warm environment, but not in a cool environment.

Effect of a multicarbohydrase containing α-galactosidase in sow lactating diets with varying energy density

Sow productivity improvements are associated with high energetic demand due to increasing prolificity. The reproductive life and longevity of sows, and the readiness for weaning of the offspring may be impaired when sows loose significant body weight (BW) during lactation. The impact of a multicarbohydrase containing α-galactosidase on a low energy dense lactation diet was evaluated in this study. Two-hundred and eight sows (208 ± 25.2 kg) were blocked by parity and BW to one of four treatments, in which a corn-soybean meal diet was formulated to have varying levels of added fat (0, 1.5%, and 3%) to titrate an energy density model. A fourth treatment replicated the 0% added fat formulation with enzyme supplementation at 250 g/tonne. Sows were weighed individually on entry, post-farrow (by calculation) and at weaning. Daily feed intakes (ADFI) and caloric intake were used for calculation of sow feed efficiency (FE) and caloric efficiency. Litter performance was characterized at birth, and size was standardized within 24h of farrow and within treatment to ensure uniform litter sizes. Average wean weight and pre-weaning mortality were determined. Piglets were weighted individually to study litter weight distribution. Data was analyzed as a randomized completely block design, using sow as the experimental unit, treatment as the main effect, and standardized average weight and litter sizes as covariates where appropriate. Although sows fed a multicarbohydrase had lower standardized litter size (P < 0.001), average wean weight was higher in this group and equivalent to the 3% added fat treatment. Enzyme supplementation tended to reduce the proportion of light weight pigs (BW < 4.1kg) within the litter, when compared with the 0% added fat diet (P < 0.1). The multicarbohydrase tended to increased sow ADFI (P < 0.10), although sows from all treatments had equivalent caloric intakes during lactation (P > 0.1). Enzyme supplementation yielded significant improvements in sow FE (P < 0.01), similar to the 3% added fat group. Thus, the carbohydrase degrading enzyme tested in this study improved the efficiency of sows, while increasing average wean weights of the offspring, suggesting an improvement in nutrient digestion and/or metabolic efficiency from typical lactation diets.

Effects of Saccharomyces cerevisiae var. boulardii CNCM I-1079 on performance, colostrum and milk composition, and litter performance of mixed-parity sows in a tropical humid climate

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of Saccharomyces cerevisiae var. boulardii (SB) for sows on their productive performance, colostrum and milk composition, and litter performance, in tropical humid climatic conditions. A total of 105 sows (Topigs Norsvin®) were allotted to a 5 × 3 completely randomized factorial design, with five diets (control diet; SBGL4 and SBGL8: 0.04 and 0.08% SB supplementation from the 90th day of gestation until 24th day of lactation; SBL4 and SBL8: 0.04 and 0.08% SB supplementation during lactation) and three parity order groups (PO: 1st and 2nd; 3rd and 4th; 5th to 7th), considering each sow and their litter as experimental unit. Sows above the 5th PO that fed control diet had a lower daily milk production (DMP), number of weaned piglets (NWP), and daily weight gain of litter (DWGL) than sows from 1st to 4th PO that fed the same diet (P < 0.05). Dietary supply of SBGL4 and SBGL8 to older sows provided a higher DMP, NWP, and DWGL when compared to sows of same PO that fed the control diet (P < 0.05). Dietary supply of SBGL4, SBGL8, SBL4, and SBL8 provided a higher dry matter and protein contents in sows' milk of 1st and 2nd PO when compared to sows from same PO that fed control diet (P < 0.05). Dietary supply of SB enhances milk yield of older sows and their litter performance, as well as the dry matter and protein content of younger sows' milk in tropical humid climatic conditions.