Threonine supplementation on growth and corporal composition of growing pigs under a sanitary challenge

• Grant number: 20/03497-7
• Support type: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Effective date (Start): August 01, 2020
• Effective date (End): July 31, 2021
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Animal Husbandry - Animal Nutrition and Feeding
• Principal researcher: Luciano Hauschild
• Grantee: Larissa Gonçalves Barbosa
• Home Institution: Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias (FCAV). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Jaboticabal. Jaboticabal , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 18/15559-7 - Precision nutrition for sanitary challenged pigs reared in hot climate areas, AP.JP2

Abstract

The objective of the project is to evaluate the effect of threonine dietary supplementation (THR) and the sanitary condition of housing on the performance of pigs in the growing and finishing phase. A total of 120 castrated male pigs will be used during an experimental period of 84 days (divided into 3 experimental phases of 28 days each), in a 2 x 2 factorial scheme: two sanitary challenge conditions - with or without oral Salmonella Typhimurium inoculation (single dose of 5 ml of 109 cfu/mL); and two diets - control (CON) and enriched diet (ENR) with THR (20% above the recommended for the thr: lys ratio by the NRC). An automated feeding system (Automated Intelligent Precision Feeder) capable of individually monitoring feed consumption and feeding behavior of animals (occupation in the feeder, feeding time per meal, and feed consumption per meal) will be used, as well as providing specific diets (treatment) for each animal. At the beginning and end of each experimental phase, performance (body weight, daily feed intake, daily weight gain and feed conversion), body composition (deposition of lean, lipid and bone mass) will be evaluated. The data will be analyzed by the mixed linear model via the MIXED procedure of the SAS (version 9.4; SAS Inst. Inc., Cary, NC) testing the fixed effects of the experimental diets, sanitary conditions of accommodation and the interactions between these factors. P values <0.05 will be considered significant. This project will allow the development of nutritional strategies to mitigate the negative effects of sanitary challenges on the metabolism and well-being of growing and finishing pigs.