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Agriculture
Volume 16
Issue 10
10.3390/agriculture16101090
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This is an early access version, the complete PDF, HTML, and XML versions will be available soon.
Article

NMR-Based Muscle Metabolomic Responses to Dietary Chlorella vulgaris and CAZyme Supplementation in Weaned Piglets

by
Cátia F. Martins
1,2,
Mariana Palma
3,4,
Ivan Viegas
3,
John G. Jones
5,6,
João P. B. Freire
7,8,
André M. Almeida
7,8 and
José A. M. Prates
1,2,*
1
CIISA—Centro de Investigação Interdisciplinar em Sanidade Animal, Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária, Universidade de Lisboa, Av. da Universidade Técnica, 1300-477 Lisbon, Portugal
2
Laboratório Associado para Ciência Animal e Veterinária (AL4AnimalS), 1300-477 Lisbon, Portugal
3
Centre for Functional Ecology, Associate Laboratory TERRA, Department of Life Sciences, University of Coimbra, 3000-456 Coimbra, Portugal
4
CIIMAR/CIMAR LA, Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research, University of Porto, 4450-208 Matosinhos, Portugal
5
CNC—Centre for Neuroscience and Cell Biology, University of Coimbra, 3004-504 Coimbra, Portugal
6
CIBB—Centre for Innovative Biomedicine and Biotechnology, University of Coimbra, 3004-531 Coimbra, Portugal
7
LEAF—Linking Landscape, Environment, Agriculture and Food, Instituto Superior de Agronomia, Universidade de Lisboa, Tapada da Ajuda, 1349-017 Lisbon, Portugal
8
Associated Laboratory TERRA, Instituto Superior de Agronomia, Universidade de Lisboa, Tapada da Ajuda, 1349-017 Lisbon, Portugal
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Agriculture 2026, 16(10), 1090; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture16101090
Submission received: 7 April 2026 / Revised: 8 May 2026 / Accepted: 14 May 2026 / Published: 15 May 2026
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Natural Feed Additives in Livestock Nutrition)
Versions Notes

Abstract

Microalgae-based feeds are increasingly considered sustainable ingredients for animal nutrition, although their impact on skeletal muscle metabolism remains poorly understood. This study investigated the metabolic changes in piglet muscle in response to dietary Chlorella vulgaris, with or without supplementation with carbohydrate-active enzymes (CAZymes), using an untargeted metabolomics approach. Forty-two weaned piglets were assigned to four dietary treatments: a control diet; 5% C. vulgaris (CH); CH supplemented with 0.005% Rovabio® Excel AP (CH+R); and CH supplemented with 0.01% of a four-CAZyme mixture (CH+M). Muscle metabolomes were analysed using 1H-NMR spectroscopy. Multivariate analysis showed a largely conserved muscle metabolomic profile across treatments, indicating that dietary treatment did not cause distinct metabolic shifts. However, univariate analysis identified significant differences in specific metabolites (p < 0.05). Piglets fed C. vulgaris-supplemented diets had higher concentrations of methionine, succinate, β-alanine, and betaine than the control group, whereas tyramine levels were lower (p < 0.05). Generally, dietary interventions resulted in minor metabolic changes in muscle tissue, affecting particular metabolites. There was no evidence of changes in overall muscle metabolism.
Keywords: carbohydrate-active enzymes; Chlorella vulgaris; microalgae; muscle metabolomics; NMR spectroscopy; swine nutrition carbohydrate-active enzymes; Chlorella vulgaris; microalgae; muscle metabolomics; NMR spectroscopy; swine nutrition

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MDPI and ACS Style

Martins, C.F.; Palma, M.; Viegas, I.; Jones, J.G.; Freire, J.P.B.; Almeida, A.M.; Prates, J.A.M. NMR-Based Muscle Metabolomic Responses to Dietary Chlorella vulgaris and CAZyme Supplementation in Weaned Piglets. Agriculture 2026, 16, 1090. https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture16101090

AMA Style

Martins CF, Palma M, Viegas I, Jones JG, Freire JPB, Almeida AM, Prates JAM. NMR-Based Muscle Metabolomic Responses to Dietary Chlorella vulgaris and CAZyme Supplementation in Weaned Piglets. Agriculture. 2026; 16(10):1090. https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture16101090

Chicago/Turabian Style

Martins, Cátia F., Mariana Palma, Ivan Viegas, John G. Jones, João P. B. Freire, André M. Almeida, and José A. M. Prates. 2026. "NMR-Based Muscle Metabolomic Responses to Dietary Chlorella vulgaris and CAZyme Supplementation in Weaned Piglets" Agriculture 16, no. 10: 1090. https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture16101090

APA Style

Martins, C. F., Palma, M., Viegas, I., Jones, J. G., Freire, J. P. B., Almeida, A. M., & Prates, J. A. M. (2026). NMR-Based Muscle Metabolomic Responses to Dietary Chlorella vulgaris and CAZyme Supplementation in Weaned Piglets. Agriculture, 16(10), 1090. https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture16101090

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