Effects of fibre-degrading enzymes in combination with different fibre sources on ileal and total tract nutrient digestibility and fermentation products in pigs

A comparative study on in vitro and in vivo stomach-small intestinal and large intestinal digestion of plant protein meals in growing pigs

This experiment evaluated the difference between computer-controlled simulated digestion and in vivo stomach-small intestinal or large intestinal digestion for growing pigs. Five diets including a corn-soybean meal basal diet and four experimental diets with rapeseed meal (RSM), cottonseed meal (CSM), sunflower meal (SFM), or peanut meal (PNM) were assigned to each group of five barrows installed terminal ileal cannula or distal cecal cannula in a 5 × 5 Latin square design. Ileal digesta and feces were collected for the determination of digestibility of dry matter (DM) and gross energy (GE) as well as digestible energy (DE) at terminal ileum and total tract. The large intestinal digestibility and DE were calculated by the difference between measurements obtained at the terminal ileum and those obtained from total tract. In vitro stomach-small intestinal digestibility and DE for diets and plant protein meals were determined by stomach-small intestinal digestion in a computer-controlled simulated digestion system (CCSDS). The in vitro large intestinal digestibility and DE of diets were determined in a CCSDS using ileal digesta and enzymes extracted from cecal digesta of pigs. The in vitro large intestinal digestibility and DE of four plant protein meals were determined by the difference between stomach-small intestinal and total tract digestion in the CCSDS. For the experimental diets, the in vitro ileal digestibility and DE were not different from corresponding in vivo values in basal diet and PNM diet, but greater than corresponding in vivo values for diets with RSM, CSM, and SFM (P < 0.05). No difference was observed between in vitro and in vivo large intestinal digestibility and DE in five diets. For the feed ingredients, the in vitro ileal digestibility and DE did not differ from corresponding in vivo ileal values in RSM and PNM but were greater than the in vivo ileal values in CSM and SFM (P < 0.05). The in vitro large intestinal GE digestibility and DE were not different from in vivo large intestinal values in RSM, CSM, and PNM, but lower than in vivo large intestinal values in SFM. This finding may relate to the higher fiber content of plant protein meals resulting in shorter digestion time of in vivo stomach-small intestine thus lower digestibility compared to in vitro, indicating it is necessary to optimize in vitro stomach-small intestinal digestion time.

β-glucosidase, driven by porcine transthyretin promoter, specific expression in the liver of transgenic mice

Under the background of food security, using non-grain feed instead of corn-soybean-based feed is an effective measure to alleviate the food-feed competition. While, non-grain feeds are often rich in fiber, which cannot be digested by non-ruminants. Producing heterologous enzymes in non-ruminants to improve cellulose utilization rate is a new research strategy by transgenic technology. In this study, porcine transthyretin (TTR) promoter, signal peptide-coding sequence (CDS), Saccharomycopsis fibuligera β-glucosidase gene (BGL1)-CDS, 6×His sequences fragments were fused into pGL3-control vector to generate transgenic vector. Then, transgenic mice were generated by pronuclear microinjection of the linearized expression vectors. Transgenic mice and their offspring were examined by PCR-based genotyping and copy number variation. Results showed that BGL1 was successfully integrated into the mouse genome and transmitted stably. Furthermore, reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), Western blotting, and β-glucosidase activity assay demonstrated that BGL1 was specifically expressed in the liver, and β-glucosidase activity significantly increased. In addition, liver weight index, cellular morphology, and collagen fiber content of the liver showed that exogenous gene insertion did not cause any lesions to live. Taken together, our findings suggest that β-glucosidase driven by TTR promoter was specifically expressed in the liver of transgenic mice.

Sources of Dietary Fiber Affect the SCFA Production and Absorption in the Hindgut of Growing Pigs

Effects of different dietary fiber (DF) sources on short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) production and absorption in the hindgut of growing pigs were studied by an in vivo–vitro (ileal cannulated pigs and fecal inoculum-based fermentation) method. Thirty-six cannulated pigs (body weight: 48.5 ± 2.1 kg) were randomly allocated to 6 treatments containing the same DF content (16.5%), with either wheat bran (WB), corn bran (CB), sugar beet pulp (SBP), oat bran (OB), soybean hulls (SH), or rice bran (RB) as DF sources. Pigs were allowed 15 days for diet adaptation, and then, fresh ileal digesta and feces were collected to determine SCFA concentration which was normalized for food dry matter intake (DMI) and the hindgut DF fermentability. Fecal microbiota was inoculated into the freeze-dried ileal digesta samples to predict the ability of SCFA production and absorption in the hindgut by in vitro fermentation. The SH group had the largest concentration of total SCFA and propionate in ileal digesta and fecal samples of growing pigs (p < 0.05). Nonetheless, the predicted acetate, total SCFA production, absorption in the SBP group were the highest (p < 0.01), but the lowest in the OB group (p < 0.01) among all groups. Even SBP and OB group had a similar ratio of soluble DF (SDF) to insoluble DF (IDF). The CB group had high determined ileal and fecal butyrate concentration but the lowest butyrate production and absorption in the hindgut (p < 0.01). Overall, the source of DF had a great impact on the hindgut SCFA production and absorption, and SBP fiber had a great potential to increase hindgut SCFA production and absorption.

A systematic-review on the role of exogenous enzymes on the productive performance at weaning, growing and finishing in pigs

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Supplementation of exogenous enzymes in the general diet improves production characteristics in all stages of production.

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Phytases are the most supplemented enzymes in all productive stages of pigs.

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The inclusion of Phytases, used in the pig's diet showed an average dry matter digestibility (g/kg) 840.6 ± 25.5 in weaning, 862.5 ± 7.4 in growing and 802.0 ± 1.41 in finishing.

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The inclusion of xylanases used in the pig's diet showed an average in dry matter digestibility (g/kg) 829.5 ± 7.14 in weaning and 759.1 ± 6.93 in finishing stages.

Supplementing exogenous enzymes in pig diets is an alternative solution to increase dietary energy and fiber digestibility to improve pig production performance at a low production cost and to reduce environmental impact with lower N and P excretions. The production stage, diet composition, enzyme source, amount and number of enzymes added, are factors to consider before using them. A database composed by 227 individual diets, resulting from 43 studies with 48 experimental records were divided in different production stages, with 19 records for weaning, 17 records for growing and 12 records for finishing. A descriptive statistical analysis of the chemical composition of the diets and enzyme doses was carried out. The data with normal distribution were analyzed calculating the mean, the minimum and maximum length, the standard deviation and the coefficient of variation. It was found that combined enzymes are the most widely reported enzyme combination in the supplementation of pigs at all stages of production. Phytases and Mannanases are commonly used at weaning and growing stages. Xylanases and Proteases have been reported to be used in all production stages. However, the highest yielding enzymes at weaning, growing and finishing stages were Phytases and Mannanases. Dietary supplementation of exogenous enzymes improves production characteristics at all stages of production. However, an improvement in growth performance and nutrient digestibility is not always observed. Future studies should focus on the interaction between production stages, composition of the diet, origin of the enzyme and the amount and number of enzymes added.

Fiber digestibility in growing pigs fed common fiber-rich ingredients: a systematic review

The application of high-fiber ingredients in the swine feed industry has some limitations considering that high amounts of fiber are resistant to endogenous enzymatic degradation in the pig’s gut. However, there is growing interest in fiber fermentation in the intestine of pigs due to their functional properties and potential health benefits. Many strategies have been applied in feed formulations to improve utilization efficiency of fiber-rich ingredients and stimulate their prebiotic effects in pigs. This manuscript reviews chemical compositions, physical properties, and digestibility of fiber-rich diets formulated with fibrous ingredients for growing pigs. Evidences presented in this review indicate there is a great variation in chemical compositions and physical properties of fibrous ingredients, resulting in the discrepancy of energy and fiber digestibility in pig intestine. In practice, fermentation capacity of fiber components in the pig’s intestine can be improved using strategies, such as biological enzymes supplementation and feed processing technologies. Soluble dietary fiber (SDF) and insoluble dietary fiber (IDF), rather than neutral detergent fiber (NDF) and acid detergent fiber (ADF), are recommended in application of pig production to achieve precise feeding. Limitations of current scientific research on determining fiber digestibility and short chain fatty acids (SCFA) production are discussed. Endogenous losses of fiber components from non-dietary materials that result in underestimation of fiber digestibility and SCFA production are discussed in this review. Overall, the purpose of our review is to provide a reference for feeding the pig by choosing the diets formulated with different high-fiber ingredients.

Impact of combined α-galactosidase and xylanase enzymes on growth performance, nutrients digestibility, chyme viscosity, and enzymes activity of broilers fed corn-soybean diets

Two experiments were conducted to investigate the effects of a combined α-galactosidase and xylanase preparation on nutrients digestibility and growth performance in broiler chickens. Experiment 1 had 240 broilers allocated to 3 treatments with the dietary supplementation of 0, 300, and 500 g/t of the enzyme combination. Diet and amino acid (AA) digestibility were assessed. Experiment 2 was a 2 × 3 (enzyme × diet) factorial arrangement with 10 replicates of 12 male broilers per replicate. Diets were based on corn-soybean meal (SBM) diet and had 3 nutritional levels (normal, 2% apparent metabolizable energy (AME) and crude protein (CP) reduction, and 4% AME and CP reduction). Each of these diets was fed with or without enzyme supplementation. Growth performance, chyme viscosity, nutrients digestibility, and endogenous enzymes activity were assessed. In experiment 1, enzyme supplementation improved the digestibility of Ca (P = 0.025) and ileal digestibility of total AA, Pro, Alu, Ile, Lys, His, Thr, Glu, Val, Leu, Tyr, and Phe (P < 0.05), and also tended to increase the AME of diets (P < 0.10). In experiment 2, broilers fed the corn-SBM diet with 4% nutrient reduction had better growth performance (P < 0.05), jejunal digesta viscosity at 42 d (P < 0.01), and lower digestibility of gross energy (GE; P < 0.05) when compared with those fed the normal nutrient diet. Enzyme inclusion increased digestibility of CP (P = 0.044), GE (P = 0.009), raffinose (P < 0.001) and stachyose (P < 0.001), improved average daily gain (P = 0.031), and reduced jejunal digesta viscosity at 42 d (P = 0.011). Besides, similar improvements trend in amylase, trypsin, sucrase, and maltase activity with enzyme inclusion were observed as with energy. These data support that the enzyme supplementation increased nutrients and ileal AA digestibility, improved performance and endogenous enzymes activity.

Nutritional Potentials of Atypical Feed Ingredients for Broiler Chickens and Pigs

Simple Summary

Common feed ingredients such as corn, barley, wheat, soybean meal, and canola meal are used to feed broiler chickens and pigs in various countries around the world. However, due to rising costs and the need to practice sustainable animal husbandry, concerted efforts have been aimed at identifying and examining the nutritional potentials of atypical feed ingredients for pigs and chickens. Although there are some articles and reviews that discuss the potential of a single or few feed ingredients for either chickens or pigs, there has not been an extensive review that integrates information from several alternative feed ingredients for both species in one place. Therefore, this review aims to enumerate several feed ingredients that have shown prospects in supplying either one or more nutrients to pigs and chickens while reducing the dependence on commonly used feedstuff. In addition, feeding practices, merits, and limitations associated with these uncommon feed ingredients are discussed. Furthermore, practical applications of these alternative feed ingredients in relation to either pigs or chickens are briefly examined.

Abstract

Diets play an important part in monogastric nutrition. This is because diets are comprised of various feed ingredients that supply energy and nutrients required by broiler chickens or pigs for normal growth and development. The main feed ingredients used for formulating diets for pigs and chickens are comprised of cereals and oilseed meals. Corn and soybean meal (SBM) are mostly used in North America for animal feeds. However, due to geographical locations, availability, and cost, ingredients such as wheat, barley, and canola meal are often used for feeding pigs and chickens. Overdependence on common ingredients such as corn and SBM for decades has resulted in rising costs of animal production. Therefore, the need has risen to examine the potentials of alternative feed ingredients capable of supplying the required energy and nutrients for monogastric animals. Research has been carried out to identify and evaluate several uncommon feed ingredients and their utilization by broiler chickens and pigs. Thus, this review enumerates the nutritional potentials of feed ingredients in 4 main nutritional classes using information from articles in peer-reviewed journals. Feeding practices, advantages, and limitations of using certain uncommon feed ingredients are discussed. In addition, species-specific factors in terms of practical applications are explored.