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Veterinary Sciences
Special Issues
Swine Nutrition and Feed
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Swine Nutrition and Feed

A special issue of Veterinary Sciences (ISSN 2306-7381). This special issue belongs to the section "Nutritional and Metabolic Diseases in Veterinary Medicine".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2026 | Viewed by 3570

Editor

Prof. Dr. Xianren Jiang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Feed Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China
Interests: pig; nutrition; gut health
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The Special Issue “Swine Nutrition and Feed” aims to showcase the latest research advances and innovative achievements in the field of pig nutrition and feed science. This Special Issue focuses on how precision nutrition strategies and novel feed resources can modulate gut health, growth performance, and overall health in pigs. Contributions may explore, but are not limited to, the following:

  • The development and functional evaluation of new feed ingredients and additives.
  • Nutritional regulatory mechanisms of porcine gut health.
  • Stage-specific nutritional strategies across different life phases of pigs.
  • The interplay between nutrition and meat quality.

This Special Issue seeks to bring together high-quality original research and review articles to promote breakthroughs in both fundamental knowledge and applied technologies. The goal is to provide scientific evidence and practical solutions for improving swine health, enhancing production efficiency, and achieving sustainable and efficient utilization of feed resources. We warmly welcome submissions from researchers worldwide and invite you to share your latest findings and valuable insights in this rapidly evolving field.

Prof. Dr. Xianren Jiang
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Veterinary Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2100 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • swine nutrition
  • functional additives
  • gut health
  • intestinal microbiota
  • growth performance
  • stage-specific nutrition
  • weaned piglets

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 2943 KB  
Article
Feeding All-Trans Retinoic Acid to Pregnant Sows Regulates the Development of the Pulmonary Nervous Systems of Neonatal Pigs
by Haimei Zhou, Xianghao Xiao, Wei Lu and Yuyong He
Vet. Sci. 2026, 13(6), 565; https://doi.org/10.3390/vetsci13060565 - 7 Jun 2026
Viewed by 429
Abstract
Newborn piglets in intensive pig farms are often prone to pulmonary diseases due to underdeveloped fetal lung neural systems, and ATRA is often regarded as an important morphogen that displays pleiotropic functions during embryonic development. However, information about the effect of maternal administration [...] Read more.
Newborn piglets in intensive pig farms are often prone to pulmonary diseases due to underdeveloped fetal lung neural systems, and ATRA is often regarded as an important morphogen that displays pleiotropic functions during embryonic development. However, information about the effect of maternal administration with ATRA on the peripheral neural system of fetal lungs is still scare. Fifteen pregnant sows were assigned to the ATRA0 (0 mg/kg diet), ATRA4, ATRA8, ATRA16 and ATRA32 treatment groups and offered their own feed from d12 to d95 after artificial insemination; then two neonatal pigs with birth weights similar to the average birth weight were taken out from each litter for the collection of lung samples, and samples were subjected to immunofluorescence staining, RNA-seq and RT-qPCR assays. Results indicated that compared to newborn piglets from the ATRA0 treatment group, newborn piglets from the ATRA4 treatment group had higher percentages of GFAP-positive astrocyte cells (p < 0.05) and GFAP-TUBB3 colocalization (p < 0.05) in the lungs. KEGG (Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes) analysis showed that differential expressed genes are mainly enriched in the pathways of neuroactive ligand–receptor interaction, GABAergic synapses and cell adhesion molecules. Addition of ATRA at 4 mg/kg to the diet of pregnant sows can enhance the healthy development of the pulmonary nervous systems of fetal pigs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Swine Nutrition and Feed)
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17 pages, 310 KB  
Article
Phytase Overdose in Diets for Pigs from Weaning to Slaughter: Effects on Performance, Carcass and Meat Quality
by Cristina Satie Hideshima Marques, Marco Aurélio Callegari, Cleandro Pazinato Dias, Kelly Lais de Souza, Claudia Cassimira da Silva Martins, Vitor Barbosa Fascina, Alexandre Oba, Rafael Humberto de Carvalho and Caio Abércio da Silva
Vet. Sci. 2026, 13(6), 516; https://doi.org/10.3390/vetsci13060516 - 26 May 2026
Viewed by 493
Abstract
This study aimed to evaluate the extra-phosphoric effect of increasing doses of bacterial phytase (RONOZYME HiPhos) in corn- and soybean meal-based diets on performance, carcass yield, and meat quality in pigs during the nursery, growing, and finishing phases (GT). Two hundred and fifty [...] Read more.
This study aimed to evaluate the extra-phosphoric effect of increasing doses of bacterial phytase (RONOZYME HiPhos) in corn- and soybean meal-based diets on performance, carcass yield, and meat quality in pigs during the nursery, growing, and finishing phases (GT). Two hundred and fifty pigs, castrated males and females, with an initial weight of 6.08 ± 0.748 kg and 21 days of age, were allocated to a randomized complete block design based on initial body weight, with five treatments and ten replicates per treatment: PC: positive control diets, supplemented with inorganic phosphorus (P) and calcium (Ca), meeting their full nutritional requirements; NC: negative control diets, with reduced available phosphorus (−0.18%) and calcium (−0.16%); 1000 FYT: NC + 1000 phytase units (FYT)/kg of feed; 2000 FYT: NC + 2000 FYT/kg of feed; 3000 FYT: NC + 3000 FYT/kg of feed. Average daily gain (ADG) in the nursery phase did not differ between the groups supplemented with 1000, 2000 and 3000 FYT/kg and PC, but was higher (p < 0.05) than NC. Feed conversion ratio (FCR) in the same phase was similar between PC and the groups supplemented with phytase, all being better (p < 0.05) than NC. The quadratic effect for phytase was verified for FCR in the phase, with the best inclusion of 2320 FYT/kg of feed. In the GF phases and in the overall experimental period (21 to 156 days), the results for average daily feed intake (ADFI), ADG and FCR favored PC and the groups supplemented with phytase compared to the NC (p < 0.05). A quadratic effect was observed for FCR considering the entire GF phase, with the best inclusion of 1923 FYT/kg of feed. Groups supplemented with phytase and PC obtained better carcass results compared to NC (p < 0.05). Linear effects were observed to percentage and quantity of lean meat in the carcass. There was no difference between treatments for meat quality. Supplementation with phytase in corn- and soybean meal-based diets with severely reduced inorganic P and Ca improved pig performance at all stages, with optimized inclusion values of approximately 2200 FYT/kg of feed, and dose-dependent benefits on carcass characteristics. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Swine Nutrition and Feed)
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19 pages, 2009 KB  
Article
Dietary Astragalus Crude Extract Boosts Piglet Growth and Mitigates Weaning Stress by Enhancing Antioxidant Activity, Improving Immunity, and Modulating Intestinal Microbiota
by Yuyan Che, Long Cai, Longlong Zhu, Lu Li, Lufang Deng, Guoshun Chen and Jing Wang
Vet. Sci. 2026, 13(3), 242; https://doi.org/10.3390/vetsci13030242 - 3 Mar 2026
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 793
Abstract
Astragalus is a traditional Chinese medicine that contains various bioactive compounds, which exert antioxidant and immunomodulatory properties. This research aimed to investigate the impacts of Astragalus crude extract on growth performance, nutrient digestibility, immune response, and intestinal health in weaned piglets. Sixty crossbred [...] Read more.
Astragalus is a traditional Chinese medicine that contains various bioactive compounds, which exert antioxidant and immunomodulatory properties. This research aimed to investigate the impacts of Astragalus crude extract on growth performance, nutrient digestibility, immune response, and intestinal health in weaned piglets. Sixty crossbred weaned piglets at 28 days of age (8.12 ± 0.14 kg) were allocated into three dietary treatments: a control group fed a corn–soybean meal-based diet (CON), an antibiotic group received the basal diet with 1000 mg/kg aureomycin (AN), and a treatment group administered the basal diet with 500 mg/kg Astragalus crude extract (CE), with 5 replicates per group, 4 piglets per replicate. The experimental trial lasted for 28 days. Feed intake and body weight were recorded to evaluate growth performance. Blood, intestine, and liver tissue samples were collected for the analysis of antioxidant capacity and gene expression. Compared to the CON group, supplementation with CE or AN significantly enhanced growth performance and decreased diarrhea incidence on days 0–14, whereas only CE tended to improve crude protein digestibility. Piglets supplemented with AN or CE showed improved antioxidant capacity and immune response relative to the CON group, as evidenced by increased liver and intestinal antioxidant enzyme activities, upregulated intestinal antioxidant gene expression, and enhanced plasma immunoglobulin A levels. Further, the upregulated intestinal tight junction protein expression was observed in CE or AN groups compared with the CON. Notably, dietary CE significantly modulated gut microbiota composition, particularly enriching the genera Blautia, Turicibacter, Agathobacter, and Clostridium. These findings indicate that dietary Astragalus crude extract promotes the gut health of weaned piglets by reducing oxidative stress and modulating gut microbiota composition, thereby decreasing diarrhea incidence and improving growth performance. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Swine Nutrition and Feed)
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25 pages, 1250 KB  
Article
Effects of Enzymes or Fermented Feed on Nitrogen Balance, Meat Quality, Intestinal Microbiota Profile and Barrier Functions of Landrace × Rongchang Pigs Fed with a Diversified Low-Protein Diet
by Cunji Shui, Jiayao Liao, Jingjing Wang, Zhiru Tang, Renli Qi, Qi Wang, Sishen Wang, Yetong Xu and Zhihong Sun
Vet. Sci. 2026, 13(3), 219; https://doi.org/10.3390/vetsci13030219 - 26 Feb 2026
Viewed by 1180
Abstract
Reducing the dependence on traditional protein sources, and decreasing feeding costs and nitrogen emissions, are important tasks in livestock production. A 5 × 5 Latin square nitrogen balance trial (five castrated male pigs) and an animal growth experiment with 120 Landrace × Rongchang [...] Read more.
Reducing the dependence on traditional protein sources, and decreasing feeding costs and nitrogen emissions, are important tasks in livestock production. A 5 × 5 Latin square nitrogen balance trial (five castrated male pigs) and an animal growth experiment with 120 Landrace × Rongchang pigs were performed and randomly divided into five diets: a normal crude protein level diet (CON); LP diet; diversified LP containing broken rice, rapeseed meal, and DDGS (DLP); DLP + 0.05% cellulase (DLP + CE); and DLP + 20% fermented feed (FDLP). The CON group showed higher nitrogen intake, urinary nitrogen, and total nitrogen excretion than the other four groups (p < 0.05). The fecal nitrogen was decreased with the LP, DLP + CE, and FDLP groups compared to the CON group (p < 0.05). The mRNA expression of jejunal fatty acid transport protein 1 was upregulated in the LP, DLP + CE, and FDLP groups compared to the CON and DLP groups (p < 0.05). The DLP + CE group showed a higher intramuscular fat content in pigs than the CON and DLP groups (p < 0.05). In the LD muscle, the FDLP and DLP + CE groups upregulated fatty acid synthase expression compared to the LP and DLP groups (p < 0.05). Colonic mRNA expression of zonula occludens-1 and claudin-1 was upregulated in the FDLP group compared to the CON and DLP groups (p < 0.05). These results suggest that the supplementation of cellulase and fermented feed in DLP diets improved nitrogen utilization and intestinal health without compromising growth performance or meat quality in Landrace × Rongchang pigs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Swine Nutrition and Feed)
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