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Agriculture
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Effects of Dietary Interventions on Pig Production
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Effects of Dietary Interventions on Pig Production

A special issue of Agriculture (ISSN 2077-0472). This special issue belongs to the section "Farm Animal Production".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 March 2024) | Viewed by 20207

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Jun He

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Guest Editor
Animal Nutrition Institute, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, China
Interests: swine nutrition; carbohydrate; intestinal health; metabolism; feed biotechnology
Prof. Dr. Xiangfeng Kong

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Nutritional Physiology and Metabolic Process, National Engineering Laboratory for Pollution Control and Waste Utilization in Livestock and Poultry Production, Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changsha 410125, China
Interests: pigs; sows; metabolites; gut microbiota; animal nutrition
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Pork is the most popular meat in East and Southeast Asia and is also very common in Western foods, accounting for about 38% of meat production worldwide. In recent decades, the use of antibiotics or high levels of ZnO/CuSO4 in the diet has significantly improved growth performance and health in pig production. However, the increased risk of developing drug resistance or drug residue has led to the introduction of regulations banning or limiting their use in pig production. As such, alternatives for conventionally used antibiotics have attracted considerable research interest worldwide. In pig production systems, the most obvious elements to be considered are the pigs, the food offered to them, and the environment in which they are kept. The food eaten by pigs not only provides the nutrients which fuel metabolism and growth but also directly influences numerous physiological processes. Therefore, dietary interventions have profound influences on growth performance and feed efficiency in pig production.

The Special Issue focuses on dietary interventions in pig production. Studies on the influences of nutrient sources (e.g., carbohydrates, proteins, amino acids, lipids, vitamins, minerals, and additives) or feeding strategies on the growth and reproductive performance, metabolism, endocrine, and body health are of interest. All types of articles, such as original research, opinions, and reviews, are welcome.

Prof. Dr. Jun He
Prof. Dr. Xiangfeng Kong
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • nutrients
  • diet
  • pig production
  • feed efficiency
  • metabolism
  • immunity
  • health
  • growth
  • meat quality

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Published Papers (8 papers)

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Research

13 pages, 4096 KiB  
Article
Dietary Serine Supplementation Improves Growth Performance, Intramuscular Fat Content, and Composition of Gut Microbes and Metabolites in Growing–Finishing Pigs
by Yiting Guo, Fang He, Zhiying Deng, Jie Yin, Guiping Guan, Zhengjun Xie and Xihong Zhou
Agriculture 2024, 14(3), 349; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture14030349 - 22 Feb 2024
Viewed by 1947
Abstract
Serine is widely involved in antioxidant synthesis, immune response, and fat metabolism. However, it remains unclear whether dietary serine supplementation affects fat deposition in the skeletal muscles of pigs. Thus, we explored the effects of dietary serine supplementation on growth performance, meat quality, [...] Read more.
Serine is widely involved in antioxidant synthesis, immune response, and fat metabolism. However, it remains unclear whether dietary serine supplementation affects fat deposition in the skeletal muscles of pigs. Thus, we explored the effects of dietary serine supplementation on growth performance, meat quality, and composition of gut microbes and their metabolites in growing–finishing pigs. Forty-eight boars weighing approximately 20 kg were fed either a basal diet or a basal diet supplemented with 0.15% serine. The results showed that dietary serine increased the daily weight gain of pigs and improved serum antioxidant capacity as indicated by the decreased malondialdehyde content and increased glutathione and superoxide dismutase content. Pigs supplemented with serine had better meat quality, as shown by the lower drip loss and higher IMF content. Furthermore, dietary serine increased the relative abundance of Streptococcus and Lactobacillus and decreased the relative abundance of Clostridium_sensu_stricto_1 and Terrisporobacter. Differential microbial metabolites were mostly enriched in metabolic pathways related to lipid synthesis, such as alpha-linolenic acid metabolism and steroid hormone biosynthesis. Correlation analysis showed that the altered metabolites were closely related to the intestinal microbiota. In conclusion, our results suggested that serine serves as a potential additive for improving IMF content in growing–finishing pigs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Effects of Dietary Interventions on Pig Production)
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10 pages, 263 KiB  
Article
Effects of Dietary Folic Acid Supplementation on Growth Performance and Immune Parameters in Weanling Piglets
by Qing Gao, Daiwen Chen, Xuemei Ding, Zhiwen Xu, Aimin Wu and Keying Zhang
Agriculture 2023, 13(12), 2271; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture13122271 - 14 Dec 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1565
Abstract
In order to study the effects of dietary folic acid (FA) supplementation on growth performance and immune status in weanling piglets, a single factorial randomized block design trial was conducted with six diets supplemented with FA at 0, 0.30, 3.00, 6.00, 9.00 or [...] Read more.
In order to study the effects of dietary folic acid (FA) supplementation on growth performance and immune status in weanling piglets, a single factorial randomized block design trial was conducted with six diets supplemented with FA at 0, 0.30, 3.00, 6.00, 9.00 or 15.00 mg/kg. A total of 108 crossbred (Landrace × Yorkshire) castrated weanling piglets (at 21 d of age) were allocated by body weight into 36 feeding cages (3 piglets/cage), which were allotted randomly into six dietary groups (six cages/group). Piglets were fed ad libitum for 24 days. Blood samples were collected on the 24th day. The growth performance and immune parameters were measured. Results showed that FA supplementation increased the serum FA level of weaned piglets (p < 0.01) and tended to increase the body weight (BW) at 45 d of age (p < 0.1) and the average daily gain (ADG) from 29 d to 45 d of age (p < 0.1). FA addition improved the feed efficiency (G/F) from 21 to 45 d of age (p < 0.01) with supplementary FA levels of 0.3, 3.0, and 9.0 mg/kg compared with the control group with no FA supplementation. FA supplementation showed a trend (p < 0.1) to increase the peripheral blood CD3+CD8+ lymphocyte subpopulation and a tendency (p < 0.1) to decrease the CD3+CD4+/CD3+CD8+ ratio; in particular FA supplementation of 0.3 and 3.0 mg/kg showed significant differences in comparison to the non-supplemented control group. Moreover, FA addition increased the serum interferon-γ (IFN-γ) level (p < 0.05) and tended to reduce the ratio of tumor necrosis factor-α to interleukin-4 (TNF-α/IL-4, p < 0.1) and immunoglobulin G (IgG, p < 0.1) in serum, but had no significant effect on serum IL-4, TNF-α, and nitric oxide. In conclusion, FA supplementation up to 3 mg/kg to the diet showed a tendency to improve immune function, while FA supplementation of up to 9 mg/kg improved feed efficiency, which resulted in a trend for higher growth in weaned piglets between 7 to 11 kg BW. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Effects of Dietary Interventions on Pig Production)
17 pages, 692 KiB  
Article
Effects of Field Pea Diet and Immunocastration in Heavy Pigs on Fresh Pork and Dry-Cured Ham
by Immaculada Argemí-Armengol, Marc Tor, Diego Bottegal, Maria A. Latorre, Beatriz Serrano-Pérez and Javier Álvarez-Rodríguez
Agriculture 2023, 13(12), 2221; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture13122221 - 30 Nov 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1583
Abstract
Peas are an alternative to soybeans to supply protein in livestock feeds. Immunocastration avoids surgical castration of male pigs and increases fat deposition in female pigs. This work aimed to assess the effects of pea inclusion on the amount of fat and fatty [...] Read more.
Peas are an alternative to soybeans to supply protein in livestock feeds. Immunocastration avoids surgical castration of male pigs and increases fat deposition in female pigs. This work aimed to assess the effects of pea inclusion on the amount of fat and fatty acid profile of loins and on weight losses of dry-cured hams in different sexes of pigs; in addition, growth performance and feeding behavior in immunocastrated female pigs were evaluated. Two experiments were conducted with crossbred immunocastrated female (IF) and immunocastrated (IM) or surgically castrated (CM) male pigs from Duroc dams sired by Berkshire, which were assigned to one of two diets (soybean vs. pea-based). The effect of castration type on the afore-mentioned variables was evaluated in male pigs, and the growth performance, and feeding behavior in female pigs. The pea-based diet in IF had no effect on average daily gain nor on carcass traits; although, it increased feeding time (p < 0.001) and reduced n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) content (p < 0.05). In male pigs, the pea-based diet did not change carcass fatness either but reduced the n-3 PUFA levels (p < 0.05). Likewise, IM had lower (p < 0.001) monounsaturated fatty acid (MUFA) and higher (p < 0.05) n-6 PUFA than CM. Diet did not affect dry-cured ham weight losses during the process, while IM showed greater (p < 0.001) losses than CM. Pigs fed a pea-based diet complied with the requirements of cured ham production, while immunocastration in male pigs increased weight losses, partly explained by lower fat content and higher fatty acid unsaturation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Effects of Dietary Interventions on Pig Production)
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15 pages, 1772 KiB  
Article
Effect of Dietary Starch-to-Fat Ratio on Lipid Metabolism, Inflammation, and Microbiota of Multiparous Sow and Newborn Piglets
by Wenhui Wang, Zirou Yu, Xindi Yin, Zijie Wang, Song Xu, Chenyu Shi, Jianjun Zang, Hu Liu and Fenglai Wang
Agriculture 2023, 13(5), 1069; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture13051069 - 16 May 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2147
Abstract
This experiment aimed to evaluate the effects of dietary starch-to-fat ratio on reproductive performance and lipid metabolism of sows and newborn piglets. A total of 75 Landrace × Yorkshire multiparous sows at d 84 of gestation were selected and randomly divided into three [...] Read more.
This experiment aimed to evaluate the effects of dietary starch-to-fat ratio on reproductive performance and lipid metabolism of sows and newborn piglets. A total of 75 Landrace × Yorkshire multiparous sows at d 84 of gestation were selected and randomly divided into three groups based on body weight. From d 85 of gestation to farrowing, sows were fed one of three dietary starch-to-fat ratios (20:1, 10:1, and 5:1). Dietary high starch-to-fat ratio increased the birth weight of piglets (p < 0.05). The apparent total digestibility of dry matter, organic matter, and gross energy of sows was improved by an increasing starch-to-fat ratio during gestation (p < 0.05). Decreased dietary starch-to-fat ratio increased the concentration of plasma triglycerides, total cholesterol, and GSH-Px in sows (p < 0.05). During parturition, sows had increased plasma interleukin (IL) -1β, IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor α in the low ratio group (p < 0.05). The relative abundance of Streptococcaceae in the low ratio group was significantly higher (p < 0.05). The medium dietary starch-to-fat ratio significantly increased the concentrations of short chain fatty acids. In conclusion, this study suggested that for sows a diet with ahigh starch to fat ratio could ameliorate lipid metabolism disorder and maternal inflammation during late gestation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Effects of Dietary Interventions on Pig Production)
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20 pages, 1578 KiB  
Article
Microbial and Protease Fermentation of Mao-Tai Lees Alters Nutritional Composition and Promotes In Vitro Intestinal Proteolysis
by Siyu Yi, Md. Abul Kalam Azad, Yujiao Ji, Yang Liu, Mengying Dou and Xiangfeng Kong
Agriculture 2023, 13(1), 64; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture13010064 - 25 Dec 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2215
Abstract
Mao-tai lees (ML) is a by-product produced in the process of Mao-tai liquor production and contains high levels of crude protein, starch and fiber, and large yield. Thus, the ML has the potential to become feedstuffs alternatives in livestock production. The present study [...] Read more.
Mao-tai lees (ML) is a by-product produced in the process of Mao-tai liquor production and contains high levels of crude protein, starch and fiber, and large yield. Thus, the ML has the potential to become feedstuffs alternatives in livestock production. The present study evaluated the nutritional values of ML and fermented ML (FML), including the first stage (FML I; microbial fermentation), the second stage (FMTL II; microbial fermentation), and the final stage (FFML; microbial fermentation with proteases), and explored their effects on in vitro intestinal fermentation. The results showed that the FFML had higher contents of acid detergent fiber, acid detergent lignin, crude fiber, crude protein, neutral detergent fiber, starch, Vitamin B2, B6, and B12, whereas the FML II presented higher contents of calcium, copper, iron, manganese, magnesium, and Vitamin B1 compared with the other groups. Compared with the ML, the total free amino acids (FAAs) and total bioamine contents were higher in the FML II and FFML and had lower total hydrolyzed amino acids and total other free organic acids contents, among which the FFML had higher total FAAs and total bioamine contents. The FMLs had lower n-6:n-3 PUFA ratio compared with the ML; however, the FFML had lower n-6:n-3 PUFA ratio than the other groups. Furthermore, the FFML had higher concentrations of 1,7-diaminoheptane, isobutyrate, isovalerate, putrescine, and spermidine in vitro fermentation, suggesting that the FFML had greater proteolysis than the other groups. Collectively, these findings suggest that microbial fermentation with proteases could alter the nutritional composition and promote in vitro intestinal proteolysis of ML, which may be an effective way for promoting the protein utilization of ML. The study provides an effective potential strategy to develop novel feedstuff alternatives. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Effects of Dietary Interventions on Pig Production)
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14 pages, 2172 KiB  
Article
Effects of Different Sources of Iron on Growth Performance, Immunity, and Intestinal Barrier Functions in Weaned Pigs
by Limei Sun, Bing Yu, Yuheng Luo, Ping Zheng, Zhiqing Huang, Jie Yu, Xiangbing Mao, Hui Yan, Shaohui Wang and Jun He
Agriculture 2022, 12(10), 1627; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture12101627 - 6 Oct 2022
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 3808
Abstract
To explore the effect of different sources of iron on growth performance and intestinal health, 24 weaned pigs were randomly allocated to three groups and fed with a basal diet (BD) or BD containing 100 mg/kg ferrous sulfate (FS) or ferrous glycine (FG). [...] Read more.
To explore the effect of different sources of iron on growth performance and intestinal health, 24 weaned pigs were randomly allocated to three groups and fed with a basal diet (BD) or BD containing 100 mg/kg ferrous sulfate (FS) or ferrous glycine (FG). The trial lasted for 21 d, and blood and tissue were collected for analysis. Results showed that FG significantly decreased the feed-to-gain ratio and increased the iron content in the liver and tibia (p < 0.05). Both FS and FG elevated bladder and fecal iron content and significantly elevated the contents of red blood cells, hemoglobin (HGB), and ferritin in the blood (p < 0.05). FG supplementation increased the serum concentrations of immunoglobulin (Ig) G and IgM, but decreased the concentrations of D-lactate and endotoxin (p < 0.05). Interestingly, FG significantly increased the villus height and the ratio of villus height to crypt depth (V/C) in the duodenum and ileum (p < 0.05). FG supplementation also increased the abundance of tight-junction protein ZO-1 but significantly decreased the rate of apoptosis in the jejunum (p < 0.05). Moreover, the activities of jejunal sucrase, maltase, and catalase (CAT) in the FG group were higher than that in other groups (p < 0.05). Importantly, FG not only elevated the expression levels of cationic amino acid transporter-1 (CAT1) in the duodenal and jejunum but also elevated the expression levels of glucose transporter-2 (GLUT2) and sodium/glucose co-transporter 1 (SGLT1) in the ileum (p < 0.05). These results indicated that appropriate iron supplementation is beneficial to piglet intestinal health by enhancing immunity and improving antioxidant capacity, and FG may serve as an efficient substitute for conventionally used iron sources. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Effects of Dietary Interventions on Pig Production)
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18 pages, 2233 KiB  
Article
Nutritional Values and In Vitro Fermentation Characteristics of 29 Different Chinese Herbs
by Lichun Xiao, Siyu Yi, Md. Abul Kalam Azad, Mingqian Huang, Xiaoquan Guo and Xiangfeng Kong
Agriculture 2022, 12(9), 1285; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture12091285 - 23 Aug 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2700
Abstract
The present study evaluated the nutritional values and in vitro fermentation characteristics of 29 different Chinese herbs in order to develop effective feed additives for livestock nutrition. The Chinese herbs were analyzed for their chemical composition. The in vitro fermentation characteristics were evaluated [...] Read more.
The present study evaluated the nutritional values and in vitro fermentation characteristics of 29 different Chinese herbs in order to develop effective feed additives for livestock nutrition. The Chinese herbs were analyzed for their chemical composition. The in vitro fermentation characteristics were evaluated using the gas production technique with swine cecal chyme inoculum. The results showed that the Allium tuberosum Rottl (Semen allii tuberosi, SAT) had the highest gross energy (GE), crude protein (CP), ether extract (EE), and total amino acid (TAA) contents, whereas Anemones raddeanae Rhizoma (Agstache rugosus, AR) had the highest crude fiber, neutral detergent fiber, and acid detergent fiber contents compared with the other Chinese herbs. The Rhus chinensis Mill (Chinese gall, CG), Scrophularia ningpoensis Hemsl (Radix scrophulariae, RS), Punica granatum L (Punica granatum L, PGL), Atractylodes macrocephala Koidz (White atractylodes rhizome, WAR), Sanguisorbae radix (Garden burnet, GB), Anemarrhena asphodeloides Bunge (Rhizoma anemarrhenaw, RA), and Rhei radix Et Rhizoma (Rheum officinale, RO) had a higher non-fiber carbohydrate content than the other Chinese herbs. The in vitro fermentation kinetic analysis showed that the RS, WAR, and RA had a higher gas production, a theoretical gas production, and a fractional rate of gas production than the other groups. Furthermore, the RA, WAR, RS, and Crataegi fructus (Crataegus pinnatifida Bun, CPB) had a higher total short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) concentration, and CPB had the highest acetate concentration, whereas the WAR and RS had higher propionate and butyrate concentrations than the other groups. Moreover, the Isatis indigotica Fort (Folium isatidis, FI) and SAT had higher ammonia-N concentration than the other groups. In summary, among the 29 different Chinese herbs, the SAT had the highest nutritional value, which is reflected in the highest contents of GE, CP, EE, and TAA, whereas the RA, WAR, and RS showed better intestinal fermentation profiles, which is reflected in the higher fermentation degree and suitable SCFAs fermentation pattern. These findings provide a theoretical basis for using Chinese herbs as feed additives or microbial carbon sources in the intestines of animals. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Effects of Dietary Interventions on Pig Production)
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14 pages, 2967 KiB  
Article
Improved Satellite Cell Proliferation Induced by L-Carnosine Benefits Muscle Growth of Pigs in Part through Activation of the Akt/mTOR/S6K Signaling Pathway
by Yaojun Liu, Wenqiang Shen, Tao Liu, Rainer Mosenthin, Yinghui Bao, Peng Chen, Wenbo Hao, Lihong Zhao, Jianyun Zhang, Cheng Ji and Qiugang Ma
Agriculture 2022, 12(7), 988; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture12070988 - 8 Jul 2022
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2848
Abstract
(1) Background: L-carnosine (β-alanyl-L-histidine), a natural dipeptide, exists at relatively high concentrations in skeletal muscles, and has been shown to protect cells from adverse conditions due to its antioxidant, anti-aging, anti-glycation, and buffering properties. Satellite cells (SCs), residing on the myofiber [...] Read more.
(1) Background: L-carnosine (β-alanyl-L-histidine), a natural dipeptide, exists at relatively high concentrations in skeletal muscles, and has been shown to protect cells from adverse conditions due to its antioxidant, anti-aging, anti-glycation, and buffering properties. Satellite cells (SCs), residing on the myofiber surface, are crucial for muscle post-growth and regeneration. However, the effects of L-carnosine on muscle development of pigs in vivo, on proliferation and growth of SCs in vitro, and the relationship between SCs and muscle development have not yet been investigated. (2) Methods: The objective of this study was to assess the effect of dietary L-carnosine on growth performance and longissimus dorsi muscle development of pigs in vivo, and to elaborate its molecular mechanisms in vitro using L-carnosine-treated SCs. (3) Results: It was shown that L-carnosine supplementation (0.2 and 2 mM) increased (p < 0.05) SC proliferation and cell percentage in the synthesis (S) phase and decreased cell percentage in the resting (G0)/first gap (G1)/phase. Moreover, average daily gain (ADG) of pigs fed diets containing 0.1% of L-carnosine was higher (p < 0.05) than that of pigs fed diets without L-carnosine, and the longissimus dorsi muscle weight of pigs assigned to the L-carnosine treatments was 7.95% higher compared to control pigs. Both in the longissimus dorsi muscle and cultured SCs of pigs, the Akt/mTOR/S6K signaling pathway was activated (p < 0.05), suggesting that L-carnosine improved muscle growth and SC proliferation of pigs. (4) Conclusions: Considering the important role of SCs in post-natal muscle growth, there is evidence that L-carnosine may improve muscle growth of pigs through promoting SC proliferation via activating the Akt/mTOR/S6K signaling pathway. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Effects of Dietary Interventions on Pig Production)
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