This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of adding liquid DL-methionine hydroxy analogue free acid (LMA) to drinking water on growth performance, small intestinal morphology and volatile fatty acids in the caecum of nursery pigs. Twenty-four crossbred pigs (Large White x Landrace, BW approximately 18 kg) were divided into three groups with four replications of two piglets each. The piglets received drinking water without (control), with 0.05 or 0.10% LMA. The results indicated that adding LMA at 0.10% to drinking water significantly increased their weight gain, average daily feed intake (p < 0.05) and tended to improve the feed conversion ratio. Adding LMA to drinking water significantly increased their water intake and significantly reduced the pH of drinking water (p < 0.01), thus total plate count (p < 0.01) and Escherichia coli in drinking water was reduced (p < 0.05), while the total number of bacteria in the caecum was not significantly affected. Liquid DL-methionine hydroxy analogue free acid supplementation in drinking water tended to decrease pH in the stomach, duodenum, jejunum, colon and rectum. Furthermore, adding LMA at 0.10% significantly increased villous height in the duodenum, jejunum and ileum (p < 0.05), and the villous height:crypt depth ratio in the jejunum and ileum (p < 0.01) was higher, whereas acetic acid concentration in the caecum was significantly lower than in the control group. It could be concluded that adding LMA to drinking water improved growth performance of the nursery pigs because of high water quality and high nutrient utilization caused by an improvement of small intestinal morphology (not from nutritional effect of methionine source).

This study was conducted to compare the effects of dietary supplementation of Sodium Gluconate (SG), Mannan Oligosaccharide (MOS) and Potassium Diformate (PDF) on growth performance and small intestinal morphology in nursery piglets. One hundred forty four female piglets (11.69±0.71 kg) were divided into 4 treatments with six replicates of six pigs each. The pigs received a control diet or diets supplemented with SG, MOS and PDF at 2,500, 3,000 and 8,000 ppm; respectively, for 6 weeks. Supplementation of SG, MOS or PDF increased final body weight, average daily gain and tended to improve feed to gain ratio (p = 0.02, 0.04 and 0.16; respectively), other than average daily feed intake, intestinal pH and the bacterial populations were not influenced by the dietary treatments. SG significantly decreased the ammonia concentration in the caecum (p<0.05) and supplementation of SG, MOS or PDF tended to increase lactic acid and total short chain fatty acid concentration in the caecum (p = 0.08, 0.09; respectively), in addition SG, MOS or PDF slightly increased butyric acid concentration in the caecum (p = 0.14). SG highly significant increased the villous height in jejunum (p<0.01) and supplementing SG, MOS or PDF significantly increased crypt depth in jejunum (p<0.05), moreover, PDF significantly increased villous height and crypt depth ratio in jejunum (p<0.05) compared with control. The dietary treatments did not influence villous height and crypt depth in duodenum and villous height in jejunum (p>0.05). It can be concluded that supplementing SG, MOS or PDF as a feed additive has the potential to improve the growth performance, the intestinal lactic acid bacteria population, intestinal short-chain fatty acid concentration and the intestinal morphology of pigs.

This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of supplementing methionine (Met) in a low-protein (Low-CP) diet during d 11 to 24 and subsequently feeding with a low-metabolizable energy diet (Low-ME; -75 kcal/kg) or a normal ME diet during d 25 to 42 on the productive performance, blood chemical profile, and lipid metabolism-related gene expression of broiler chickens. The 1,600 broiler chicks were divided into 5 groups as follows: 1) Normal CP, then Normal ME; 2) Low-CP, then Normal ME; 3) Low-CP, then Low-ME; 4) Low-CP+Met, then Normal ME; and 5) Low-CP+Met, then Low-ME. During d 11 to 24, the growth performance of the control group was better than those of the other groups (P < 0.01). In Low-CP diets, the addition of Met resulted in an improvement in the growth performance, breast meat yield, protein conversion ratio, plasma total protein, and albumin (P < 0.01). Moreover, the supplementation significantly increased the plasma triglyceride content (P < 0.01). Feeding Low-CP or Low-CP+Met diets increased the abdominal fat content compared to the control group (P < 0.01). Feeding the Low-CP+Met, then Normal ME (d 25 to 42) resulted in compensation in the feed conversion ratio (FCR), protein conversion ratio, and energy conversion ratio equal to or better than the control group (P < 0.01). The body weights of birds fed Low-CP diets were still inferior to the control group (P < 0.01), except in the Low-CP+Met group followed by the normal ME diet. Feeding with the Low-ME diet tended to decrease the expression of the carnitine palmitoyl transferase I gene in the liver (P = 0.08). In conclusion, supplementing Met in the Low-CP diet during the grower period and subsequently feeding with a control diet improved the feed and protein conversion ratios, reduced fat accumulation, and reduced the production cost of broiler chickens with regard to fat deposition compared to the control diet.

No abstract

This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) supplementation on egg production, fat digestibility, blood lipid profile and gene expression related to nutrients transport in brown egglaying hens. In total, 384 commercial laying hens were divided into 4 groups (8 replicates, 12 animals each): 1. positive control (PC), 2. negative control (reduced energy to 75 ME kcal/kg; NC), 3. NC-LPC 0.05%, and 4. NC-LPC 0.1%, accordingly to a completely randomized design. There were no significant effects on productive performance during 33-41 weeks of age. Feed intake and feed conversion ratio (FCR) significantly increased (P < 0.05) in the NC group in comparison to the PC group during 42-49 weeks of age. Supplementation of LPC (at both levels) significantly reduced feed intake and FCR (P < 0.05). Consequently, it significantly reduced feed cost per egg weight (P < 0.05). In animals supplemented with LPC increased (P < 0.05) digestibilities of dietary fat, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), triglyceride and cholesterol in blood were found. The expression of gene BAT in the epithelial layer of the jejunum significantly increased in the NC group, however it decreased in the NC-LPC 0.1% group (P < 0.05). The expression of CAT-1 gene in the NC-LPC 0.1% group was higher than that of the PC group (P < 0.05). The supplemental LPC (both levels) also significantly increased the expression of the NPC1 gene in comparison to the NC group (P < 0.05). So, supplementation of LPC to the diet improved the feed efficiency via the increase of fat digestibility and the uptake of some amino acids or cholesterol to the enterocyte up-regulating the expression of some amino acids and cholesterol transporter genes.