Dietary supplementation with functional amino acids improves the capacity of growing pigs to cope with a health challenge

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Franca, I. ; Valini, G. A. C. ; Arnaut, P. R. ; Ortiz, M. T. ; Silva, C. A. ; de Oliveira, M. J. K. ; Paulino, G. S. C. ; Marcal, D. A. ; Melo, A. D. B. ; Htoo, J. K. ; Brand, H. G. ; Andretta, I. ; Hauschild, L.

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: ANIMAL FEED SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY; v. 318, p. 16-pg., 2024-12-01.

Abstract

This study aimed to assess the effects of additional dietary supplementation with a blend of functional amino acids (FAA) with Thr, Trp, and Met as a preventive (prior to health challenge), curative strategy (during health challenge) or both targeting the performance, body composition, metabolic biomarkers of growing group-housed pigs raised under a health challenge. Additionally, the influence of these feeding strategies on pig response was investigated after the challenge (during the finishing phase). Sixty weaned piglets [6.3 +/- 0.9 kg body weight (BW)] were distributed based on BW in a nursery barn to one of two dietary treatments (n = 30): control (CN) or supplemented with FAA blend (FAA+; 120 % of the Thr:Lys, Trp:Lys, and Met+Cys:Lys requirements) for 7 weeks. After 7 weeks, the pigs (27.9 +/- 4.2 kg of BW) were distributed in a randomized complete block design to one of four treatments for the period of the health challenge period in the growing phase: pigs fed a CN diet during the nursery period were either maintained on a CN diet (control; n = 14) or switched to an FAA+ diet (curative strategy; n = 14), whereas the pigs fed an FAA+ diet during the nursery period were either fed a CN diet (preventive strategy; n = 14) or continued receiving an FAA+ diet (continuous strategy; n = 14). The health challenge consisted of subjecting growing pigs to batch mixing, poor housing conditions, and oral inoculation with Salmonella Typhimurium (ST). Poor housing conditions were maintained for 4 weeks (weeks 8-11). After this period, the pigs received the same standard diets for 9 weeks (weeks 12-20), and the facilities were cleaned daily. The health challenge increased the rectal temperature (P < 0.01) and serum concentrations of haptoglobin (P < 0.05), IgA (P < 0.05), IgG (P < 0.01), triglycerides (P < 0.01), creatinine (P < 0.01), and urea (P < 0.01), while reducing serum concentrations of lactate dehydrogenase (P < 0.01), albumin (P < 0.01), and glucose (P < 0.05). Pigs fed a continuous FAA+ diet trend towards lower fecal ST shedding (P < 0.10) than did the curative strategy pigs and had better fecal consistency scores (P < 0.01) than did the control pigs. During the challenge period, pigs fed FAA+ curatively or continuously demonstrated higher average daily gain and feed efficiency compared to control pigs (P < 0.01). Greater (P < 0.05) protein deposition (+30 %) and improved (P < 0.05) nitrogen retention efficiency (+20 % to curative and +30 % to continuous strategies) were observed in the pigs fed the FAA+ diet during the health challenge compared with the control pigs. Curative-fed FAA+ pigs had greater BW at the end of the finishing phase than did the control and preventive group (P < 0.05). In conclusion, the use of FAA supplementation as a curative or continuous strategy is highly effective at improving the performance and body composition of growing pigs under a health challenge. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 23/08305-7 - Effect of preventive or curative dietary supplementation with functional amino acids on growing pigs under sanitary challenge
• Grantee: Ismael França
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate (Direct)
• FAPESP's process: 18/15559-7 - Precision nutrition for sanitary challenged pigs reared in hot climate areas
• Grantee: Luciano Hauschild
• Support Opportunities: Research Grants - Young Investigators Grants - Phase 2
• FAPESP's process: 19/10843-1 - Multi-User Equipment approved in grant 18/15559-7: Dual Energy X-ray bone densitometry equipment
• Grantee: Luciano Hauschild
• Support Opportunities: Multi-user Equipment Program
• FAPESP's process: 20/15797-5 - Effect of dietary supplementation with functional amino acids (Thr, Met and Trp) in suboptimal health challenged pigs with Salmonella typhimurium
• Grantee: Ismael França
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate (Direct)