Study of the Effects of Condensed Tannin Additives on the Health and Growth Performance of Early-Weaned Piglets.

Simple Summary: Tannins, astringent polyphenols found in plants, show potential as a natural antibiotic to act as a substitute for antibiotics in animal feed additives. For ruminants, it has been widely documented that the addition of tannins to feed improves feed efficiency by increasing the amount of bypass protein. However, for monogastric animals, tannins are widely recognized as antinutritional factors, and, in some regions, it is still common practice to remove tannins from feed, e.g., through silage. The results of our previous study showed that the addition of 0.2% and 0.3% MGM-P (MGM is a commercial brand of tannin), especially the 0.3% addition, provided preventative effects regarding the incidence of diarrhea in early-weaned piglets. It has also been shown to have the ability to improve villus morphology and alleviate piglet diarrhea. Therefore, this study evaluated the effectiveness of higher doses of tannin extract MGM-P (0.5% and 1.0%) in preventing diarrhea and improving the growth performance of weaned piglets. Comparisons were also made with antibiotic additives. The results suggest that an addition level of 0.5% shows potential as an alternative to the use of antibiotics in monogastric animal feed. Using 0.5% and 1.0% MGM-P, the objective of the present study was to determine a more appropriate additive level for early-weaned piglets as an alternative to the use of antibiotics. Thirty-six weaned piglets were allotted to one of four groups and given a basal diet (NC), with the basal diet containing either 0.5% (LT) or 1.0% (HT) MGM-P or antibiotics (PC). Diarrhea incidence, growth performance, hematology, blood biochemistry, and blood amino acid concentrations were monitored during the experimental period. Three piglets per group with a body weight nearest to the average level were slaughtered after the experiment to assess their organ index. The results showed that no diarrhea was observed either in the treatment groups or in the control group. The 0.5% group showed an upward trend in body weight and average daily gain at all stages. The WBC counts at 21 days of age were higher (p > 0.05) both in the MGM-P addition groups and the LT and HT groups. For some of the plasma amino acids, such as arginine, phenylalanine concentrations were significantly lower (p < 0.05) in the HT group at the end of the trial. The pathological examination of all organs confirmed no differences. Consequently, the 0.5% MGM-P addition level may be suggested as a potential alternative to the use of antibiotic additives. Even with additives as high as 1%, there is no negative effect on ADG and FCR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]