Effect of dietary organic acids supplementation on growth performance, nutrient digestibility, and gut morphology in weaned pigs

Abstract

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of dietary supplementation with different organic acid (<b>OA</b>) mixtures on growth performance, nutrient digestibility, and gut morphology in weaned pigs. A total of 56 weaned pigs (7.93 ± 1.04 kg body weight) were assigned to four dietary treatments with seven replicates per treatment for a 35-d study conducted over two phases; phase 1 (d 1 to 14) and phase 2 (d 14 to 35). Diets consisted of 1) a corn-soybean meal-basal diet without any additive (negative control, <b>NC</b>); 2) NC + formic and propionic acids (<b>TRT1</b>); 3) NC + butyric, formic, and propionic acids (<b>TRT2</b>); and 4) NC + antibiotic (positive control, <b>PC</b>). During the overall period, the gain to feed ratio of pigs fed the PC and TRT1 diets tended to be higher (<i>P</i> = 0.059) than that of the NC diet. However, OA supplementation had no effects on nutrient digestibility. Jejunal villus height to crypt depth ratio was higher (<i>P</i> < 0.05) in pigs fed the TRT1 diet than those fed the NC diet. In conclusion, dietary OA supplementation tended to increase overall feed efficiency and improved gut morphology in weaned pigs.

Effects of paraformic acid supplementation, as an antibiotic replacement, on growth performance, intestinal morphology and gut microbiota of nursery pigs

“…Organic acids have gained attention in the last few years due to their antimicrobial effects on gut microbiota and improvements in the general performance of pigs [25,38,39]. Several studies summarized by Luise et al [17] suggested that incorporating formic acid as a feed supplement might improve the general performance of nursery pigs.…”

“…Formic acid has especially been demonstrated to enhance gastric activity [24], gut health [25], immune status [26], and modulate the microbiota [26], leading to improvement of growth performance in nursery pigs. However, formic acid is corrosive [27,28], thus affecting equipment life, creating handling difficulties, and also causing general irritation to workers [29,30].…”

Potential of Organic Acids, Essential Oils and Their Blends in Pig Diets as Alternatives to Antibiotic Growth Promoters

“…Blends of medium-chain fatty acids and short-chain organic acids can be utilized by enterocytes as energy sources and attenuate the negative effect of weaning on villus length and crypt depth in pigs [ 34 ]. In weaner pigs, benzoic acid showed an increase in the villus height to crypt depth ratio [ 63 ]. However, in a study by Kong et al [ 64 ], butyric acid did not affect the histology of grower-finishing pigs; only their mucosal depth was larger, and this can be attributed to better gut integrity in older animals.…”