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Simple Summary: Young pigs face many challenges associated with weaning, including disruption to a healthy and robust intestinal microbiota, leaving them vulnerable to infection with enteric pathogens. Modern farming practices wean piglets at a younger age than they would outside of artificial rearing, and therefore their immature intestines may not be equipped to handle the challenges associated with weaning. Milk oligosaccharides are prebiotics naturally found in the colostrum and milk of mammals and have been shown to improve intestinal health in young mammals. Milk oligosaccharides can encourage the development of mature intestines, protect the host from pathogens, and modulate host immune responses. Milk coproducts from bovine sources are commonly utilized in nursery pig feeds and can be a source of milk oligosaccharides past the suckling period. However, bovine milk coproducts have a different oligosaccharide composition when compared to those found in porcine milk. This review summarizes the benefits associated with specific milk oligosaccharides for suckling and nursery pigs. The objective of this review was to identify the characteristics and functional roles of milk coproducts from human, bovine, and porcine sources and their impacts on the intestinal microbiota and intestinal immunity of suckling and nursery pigs. Modern pig production weans piglets at 3 to 4 weeks of age, which is earlier than pigs would naturally be weaned outside of artificial rearing. As a result, the immature intestines of suckling and nursery pigs face many challenges associated with intestinal dysbiosis, which can be caused by weaning stress or the colonization of the intestines by enteric pathogens. Milk oligosaccharides are found in sow milk and function as a prebiotic in the intestines of pigs as they cannot be degraded by mammalian enzymes and are thus utilized by intestinal microbial populations. The consumption of milk oligosaccharides during suckling and through the nursery phase can provide benefits to young pigs by encouraging the proliferation of beneficial microbial populations, preventing pathogen adhesion to enterocytes, and through directly modulating immune responses. Therefore, this review aims to summarize the specific functional components of milk oligosaccharides from human, bovine, and porcine sources, and identify potential strategies to utilize milk oligosaccharides to benefit young pigs through the suckling and nursery periods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Modern sows face increased nutritional challenges due to inadequate feeding programs causing excessive maternal tissue loss and reproductive failure. Rapid genetic improvements in reproductive performance should be nutritionally supported; however, current feeding programs have limitations to support the needs of modern sows. Litter size at birth and the birthweight of piglets have increased, increasing the nutrient needs for sows during gestation and lactation. This review also addresses physiological challenges facing modern sows including high oxidative stress, pelvic organ prolapse, and lameness as well as negative impacts on colostrum and milk quality. To mitigate these challenges, there is growing interest in investigating the functional roles of select bioactive compounds as feed additives. Such bioactive compounds have been utilized to reduce disease and illness related to physical stressors, improve colostrum and milk quality, and support sow intestinal health. This review demonstrates that the feeding of modern sows poses unique challenges for nutritionists and the rapid genetic improvements to reproductive performance warrants updated feeding programs and selective use of bioactive compounds. The objectives of this review are to identify the nutritional challenges faced by modern sows and present potential solutions to mitigate excessive maternal tissue loss and reproductive failure as it relates to recent genetic improvements. Current feeding programs have limitations to support the rapid genetic improvements in reproductive performance for modern sows. Since 2012, both litter size at birth and fetal weight have increased by 2.26 pigs per litter and 0.22 kg per piglet, respectively, thereby increasing the nutrient needs for sows during gestation and lactation. Prediction models generated in this review predict that modern sows would need 31% more lysine during gestation when compared with current feeding programs. Physiological challenges facing modern sows are also addressed in this review. High oxidative stress, pelvic organ prolapse, and lameness can directly affect the sow, whereas these physiological challenges can have negative impacts on colostrum and milk quality. In response, there is growing interest in investigating the functional roles of select bioactive compounds as feed additives to mitigate the severity of these challenges. Selenium sources, catechins, and select plant extracts have been utilized to reduce oxidative stress, calcium chloride and phytase have been used to mitigate pelvic organ prolapse and lameness, algae and yeast derivatives have been used to improve colostrum and milk quality, and fiber sources and probiotics have been commonly utilized to improve sow intestinal health. Collectively, this review demonstrates the unique challenges associated with managing the feeding programs for modern sows and the opportunities for revision of the amino acid requirements as well as the use of select bioactive compounds to improve reproductive performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Global pig production has increased by 140% since the 1960s. The increase in global population, coupled with improving socioeconomic conditions of many countries has led to an increased consumption of meat globally, including pork. To keep up with demand and capitalize on economic opportunities, the countries of China, the United States (US), and the European Union (EU) have become the top 3 pork producers globally. China is of particular interest, as it is the both the largest country in pork production and pig numbers, as well as being the largest importer of pork from other countries. Globally, the efficiency of pork production has improved, in relation to the integration of pig production and the dramatic increase in research efforts in pig nutrition and production. Through integration, large producers can consolidate resources and maximize profits and efficiency. The increased research interest and efforts in pig production have given scientists and producers the opportunity to collaborate to adapt to challenges and identify possible solutions to issues brought on by a volatile global market. Intestinal health (23%), general nutrition and growth (23%), and amino acid nutrition (15%) were the top 3 areas (61%) leading research trends in pig nutrition and production. Major dietary interventions with feed additives evaluated include functional amino acids, feed enzymes, pre-/pro-/post-biotics, and phytobiotics with a common goal to improve the growth efficiency by enhancing nutrient utilization and intestinal health. With increasing global issues with environment, pig producers and the supporting scientists should continue their efforts to improve the production efficiency and to reduce the environmental footprint from pig production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to investigate the effects of increased NSP from alternative feedstuffs in feeds with or without NSPase supplementation on growth performance, nutrient digestibility, intestinal health, immune status, and modulation of the intestinal microbiome of nursery pigs and the carryover effect from dietary nursery intervention on the subsequent phases of production. One hundred and sixty newly weaned pigs at 7.0 ± 0.3 kg BW were allotted in a 2 x 2 factorial arrangement with NSP level and NSPase supplementation serving as factors and sex as block. Pigs were assigned to one of 4 dietary treatments with the control having corn DDGS as the main source of NSP and HNSP having soy hulls and wheat bran replacing corn DDGS as the source of NSP. Pigs were fed for 37 d in 2 phases (19 d and 18 d, respectively) and housed in a pen of 4. Growth performance was measured at the end of each phase. At d 37, a pig representing the median BW within each pen from each treatment was euthanized for sampling jejunal mucosa, jejunal tissue, and ileal digesta to analyze intestinal health variables, oxidative stress products, and digesta viscosity. The remaining pigs were then fed a common diet for the subsequent grower and finisher phases to evaluate the carryover effect. At the end of the finisher phase, all pigs were euthanized to obtain carcass data. Data were analyzed using Mixed procedure of SAS 9.4. Overall, NSP level and type nor NSPase supplementation had an effect on growth performance; however, HNSP tended to have improved (P = 0.087) feed efficiency (0.52 to 0.53) in the grower period immediately following the nursery phase. Additionally, HNSP increased (P < 0.05) IgG (4.84 to 5.83 μg/mg of protein) in the jejunal mucosa and tended to increase (P = 0.096) the villus height in the jejunum (482.8 to 506.6 μm). The body weight of HNSP pigs was more uniform (P < 0.05; 8.7 to 11.6%) than the control at the end of the 120-day trial. No differences were observed in carcass traits however, the hot carcass weight of pigs in HNSP tended to be more uniform (P = 0.089; 6.4 to 10.00%) than the control. In conclusion, increased amounts of NSP from alternative feedstuffs does not further impair or damage the intestinal health and subsequent growth performance of nursery pigs and may aid the pig through generated metabolites and alterations to the intestinal microbiota as they are transitioned to the ensuing phases of production as evidenced by the increased uniformity at the end of the trial. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Global pig production has increased by 140% since the 1960s. The increase in global population, coupled with improving socioeconomic conditions of many countries has led to an increased consumption of meat globally, including pork. To keep up with demand and capitalize on economic opportunities, the countries of China, the United States (US), and the European Union (EU) have become the top 3 pork producers globally. China is of particular interest, as it is the both the largest country in pork production and pig numbers, as well as being the largest importer of pork from other countries. Globally, the efficiency of pork production has improved, in relation to the integration of pig production and the dramatic increase in research efforts in pig nutrition and production. Through integration, large producers can consolidate resources and maximize profits and efficiency. The increased research interest and efforts in pig production have given scientists and producers the opportunity to collaborate to adapt to challenges and identify possible solutions to issues brought on by a volatile global market. Intestinal health (23%), general nutrition and growth (23%), and amino acid nutrition (15%) were the top 3 areas (61%) leading research trends in pig nutrition and production. Major dietary interventions with feed additives evaluated include functional amino acids, feed enzymes, pre-/pro-/post-biotics, and phytobiotics with a common goal to improve the growth efficiency by enhancing nutrient utilization and intestinal health. With increasing global issues with environment, pig producers and the supporting scientists should continue their efforts to improve the production efficiency and to reduce the environmental footprint from pig production.