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Twenty-four gestating sows and 24 lactating sows were randomly allotted to three diets with eight replicate sows per treatment in a 3 × 2 factorial arrangement. Different sows were used in gestation and lactation periods. The hypothesis was that digestibility of gross energy (GE), dry matter (DM), and nutrients in lactating sows is not different from that in gestating sows. A corn–soybean-meal diet and two full-fat-rice-bran or defatted rice bran diets were used. Results indicated that regardless of diet, lactating sows had greater (P

An experiment was conducted to test the hypothesis that inclusion of a conventional torula yeast or a torula yeast produced from forestry byproducts (i.e., woody torula yeast) in diets for weanling pigs instead of fish meal and plasma protein improves growth performance and intestinal health of pigs. A total of 120 weanling pigs (6.53 ± 0.78 kg) were allotted to three treatments with ten replicate pens per diet. Pigs were fed one of three diets from days 1 to 14 post-weaning (phase 1), whereas all pigs were fed a common diet in phase 2 (days 15 to 28). The three treatments in phase 1 included a control diet with 5% fish meal, 3.5% plasma protein, and no torula yeast. The second diet contained 1.5% fish meal, 14% woody torula yeast, and no plasma protein, whereas the third diet contained 1.5% fish meal, 14% conventional torula yeast, and no plasma protein. Fecal scores were assessed every other day. On day 7, one pig per pen was euthanized to collect ileal tissue and mucosa for determination of morphology and for ribonucleic acid (RNA) sequencing analysis. At the end of phases 1 and 2, blood samples were collected and concentrations of cytokines, plasma urea nitrogen (PUN), peptide YY, immunoglobulin G, total protein, and albumin were analyzed. Results indicated that both torula yeast sources could replace fish meal and plasma protein without affecting growth performance, intestinal morphology, or blood characteristics of pigs. Pigs fed a diet containing torula yeast had improved (P < 0.05) fecal scores during phase 1. Pigs fed the conventional torula yeast diet had greater (P < 0.05) concentration of interleukin-2 compared with pigs fed the control diet. On day 14, greater (P < 0.05) concentrations of interleukin-4 and interleukin-10 were observed in pigs fed the diet containing the woody torula yeast or conventional torula yeast compared with pigs fed the control diet. Results from the RNA sequencing indicated that 19 of 24 analyzed genes involved in digestion and absorption of protein and vitamins were downregulated in pigs fed the diet containing woody torula yeast compared with pigs fed the control diet. However, only two genes (i.e., ANKS4B and FAM54A) were downregulated in pigs fed the woody torula yeast diet compared with the conventional torula yeast diet. In conclusion, using woody or conventional torula yeast instead of fish meal and plasma protein in the phase 1 diet for weanling pigs may improve intestinal health without influencing growth performance of pigs.

BACKGROUND: Arabinoxylan is the main fiber component in corn and corn co-products that are commonly included in pig diets. However, this fiber fraction is resistant to enzymatic degradation in the gastrointestinal tract of pigs. Ferulic acid and p-coumaric acid are covalently linked to arabinoxylan, so it is likely that the majority of these hydroxycinnamic acids are excreted in feces. However, data to confirm this have not been reported. The objective of this research was therefore to quantify the ferulic and p-coumaric acids in a diet based on corn and soybean meal (SBM) and in a diet based on corn, SBM, and distillers’ dried grains with solubles, as well as in feces from pigs fed these diets. RESULTS: The concentration of bound ferulic and coumaric acids in diets was greater in the corn-SBM-DDGS diet and in feces from pigs fed this diet than in the corn-SBM diet and feces from pigs fed that diet. The disappearance of free coumaric acids was greater (>85%) than that of bound phenolic acids (

Two experiments were conducted to test the hypothesis that corn kernel hardness and drying temperature influence the ileal digestibility of starch and amino acids (AA), as well as apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD) of gross energy (GE) and total dietary fiber (TDF) in diets for growing pigs. Two corn varieties with average or hard endosperm were grown and harvested under similar conditions, and after harvest, each variety was divided into 2 batches that were dried at 35 and 120 °C, respectively. Therefore, four batches of corn were used. In experiment 1, 10 pigs (67.00 ± 2.98 kg) with a T-cannula installed in the distal ileum were allotted to a replicated 5 × 5 Latin square design with 5 diets and 5 periods giving 10 replicates per diet. A nitrogen-free diet and four diets containing each source of corn as the only AA source were formulated. Results indicated that neither variety of corn nor drying temperature influenced apparent ileal digestibility of starch in the grain. The standardized ileal digestibility of most AA was less (P

An experiment was conducted to test the hypothesis that increasing levels of a novel phytase increases the apparent ileal digestibility (AID) and apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD) of nutrients in diets fed to young pigs. A negative control (NC) diet based on corn, soybean meal, and canola meal that contained approximately 0.83% phytate (i.e., 0.23% phytate-bound P) was formulated to be deficient in Ca, P, and standardized ileal digestible amino acids (AA). Five additional diets were formulated by adding 250, 500, 1,000, 2,000, or 4,000 phytase units/kg of the novel phytase to the NC diets. Eighteen ileal-cannulated pigs (17.81 ± 1.71 kg) were allotted to a 6 × 3 incomplete Latin square design with six diets and three 11-day periods. There were three pigs per diet in each period; therefore, there were nine replicate pigs per diet. The initial 5 d of each period was considered an adaptation period to the diet. For each period, fecal samples were collected via anal stimulation on days 6, 7, 8, and 9, whereas ileal digesta were collected on days 10 and 11 using standard procedures. Results indicated that the AID of crude protein, indispensable AA, and dispensable AA was increased (quadratic, P0.05) as the concentration of microbial phytase increased in the diets. Dietary inclusion of the novel phytase at 1,000 or 2,000 FTU/kg increased the AID of total AA from 73.7% to 79.8%. Increasing levels of microbial phytase increased (quadratic, P0.05) the AID of dry matter and minerals (i.e., Ca, P, K, Mg, Cu) in the diets. Likewise, a linear increase (P0.05) in the AID of ash and Na was observed as the inclusion level of phytase increased in the diets. Increasing levels of microbial phytase increased (linear, P0.01) the AID of gross energy (GE) and starch in the diets. A quadratic (P0.05) increase in the ATTD of ash, Ca, P, K, and Cu in experimental diets was observed as the concentration of microbial phytase increased in the diets. The ATTD of Mg and GE also increased (linear; P0.05) as concentration of dietary phytase increased. In conclusion, the novel microbial phytase used in this experiment was effective in increasing the AID of dry matter, GE, starch, minerals, and AA, as well as the ATTD of gross energy and minerals in diets formulated to be deficient in Ca, P, and AA.The effect of microbial phytase on amino acid (AA) digestibility has been inconsistent, but in many experiments, relatively low levels of phytase were used and it is not known if greater concentrations of phytase are needed to increase AA digestibility. A novel consensus bacterial 6-phytase variant has been recently developed, but it is not known if this phytase results in increased digestibility of AA and other nutrients. Therefore, an experiment was conducted to test the hypothesis that dietary inclusion of increasing levels of the novel phytase (i.e., 0, 250, 500, 1,000, 2,000, and 4,000 phytase units/kg) increases ileal digestibility of AA and total tract digestibility of energy and minerals in diets for growing pigs. In this experiment, it was demonstrated that increasing levels of phytase increased the apparent ileal digestibility of starch, gross energy, minerals, crude protein, and AA, as well as the apparent total tract digestibility of gross energy and minerals. The impact of phytase on AA digestibility is possibly dependent on diet composition, phytate and phytase sources and concentrations, and pig maturity; however, further research is needed to confirm this.

An experiment was conducted to test the hypothesis that increasing levels of phytase increases apparent ileal digestibility (AID) and apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD) of nutrients in diets fed to young pigs. A negative control (NC) diet that was deficient (compared with NRC recommendation) in total Ca (-0.15%), standardized total tract digestible P (-0.16%), net energy (-33 kcal/kg), and standardized ileal digestible amino acids (average -0.02% unit) was formulated. Five additional diets were formulated by adding 250, 500, 1,000, 2,000 or 4,000 phytase units per kg of a novel consensus bacterial 6-phytase variant (PhyG) to the NC diet. All diets were based on corn, soybean meal, and canola meal. Eighteen ileal-cannulated pigs (17.81 ± 1.71 kg) were allotted to a 6 × 3 incomplete Latin square design with 6 diets and 3 periods. There were 3 pigs per diet in each period; therefore, there were nine replicate pigs per diet. Data were analyzed using the Mixed Procedure of SAS with diet as the fixed effect whereas pig and period were considered random effects. Linear and quadratic effects of PhyG on nutrient digestibility were determined using polynomial contrast statements. Linear (P < 0.01) and quadratic (P < 0.05) increases in AID of all individual amino acids (except Arg) were observed as dietary concentrations of PhyG increased (Table 1). Likewise, an increase (linear, P < 0.01; quadratic, P < 0.05) in ATTD of minerals in diets was observed as the concentration of PhyG increased in diets. Increasing levels of PhyG in diets also increased (linear, P < 0.05) ATTD of gross energy. In conclusion, increasing levels of the novel phytase (PhyG) effectively increased ileal and total tract digestibility of nutrients by pigs.

Two experiments were conducted to test the hypotheses that microbial phytase improves the standardized total tract digestibility (STTD) of phosphorus (P) in bakery meal and that corn may be replaced by bakery meal in diets for weanling pigs without negative effects on growth performance. Two sources of bakery meal were used in experiment 1 and one of these sources was also used in experiment 2. In experiment 1, eighty weanling barrows (initial body weight: 14.25 ± 1.91 kg) were allotted to a randomized complete block design with 10 diets and 8 replicate pigs per diet. Two basal diets based on each source of bakery meal (i.e., bakery meal 1 and bakery meal 2) were formulated without addition of microbial phytase. Eight additional diets were formulated by adding 500, 1,000, 1,500, or 3,000 units of microbial phytase to each of the 2 basal diets. Pigs were housed individually in metabolism crates and feces were collected quantitatively for 4 d after 5 d of adaptation. Results indicated that greater increases in apparent total tract digestibility and STTD of P were observed in bakery meal 1 compared with bakery meal 2 when phytase was added to diets (interaction, quadratic, P