Effect of feeding Actigen™ to sows during gestation and lactation and on piglet performance

Abstract

SummaryActigen™ is a second generation, unique bioactive fraction derived from the outer cell wall of a specific strain of yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, where it acts in the gut to bind pathogenic bacteria, preventing disease and competition for nutrients. In the current trial, 260 sows were used and fed either an unsupplemented control diet or one containing Actigen™ at 0.08% of the formulation during gestation, farrowing and lactation, to assess its impact on sow and piglet performance. Results showed significant increases in feed intake for sows fed Actigen™ pre-farrowing, but this was reversed during lactation, leading to a 7 kg saving in feed intake per animal. At birth, piglets weighed 42 g more in litters from Actigen™-fed sows compared to the control group. Weaning weight of the total litter from Actigen™ sows was significantly higher (P< 0.05) by 3.3 kg, although individual piglet weights were the same. Sows showed no significant loss in body weight during the trial, indicating that the improved piglet production was related to improved nutrient availability and perhaps Ig status of piglets due to the addition of Actigen™ in the diet.

Dietary supplementation with yeast hydrolysate in pregnancy influences colostrum yield and gut microbiota of sows and piglets after birth

“…[ 31 ]. However, a few recent studies revealed that sow dietary YD supplementation during gestation had no effect on the average numbers of piglets born and those born alive [ 1 , 5 , 32 ]. It has been reported that live born litter size is mainly determined by the fertilization rate and embryonic mortality during early pregnancy [ 33 ], and therefore supplementing the sow diet with YD during gestation might not have had an effect on the litter size as we report.…”

Invited review: strategic adoption of antibiotic-free pork production: the importance of a holistic approach

“…Yeast products are typically utilized in nursery diets with the objective of improving the rate and efficiency of growth, as well as enhancing overall animal health. They have sometimes been included in sow diets in an attempt to improve litter performance ( Taylor-Pickard et al, 2017 ). In an extensive summary of peer-reviewed publications on the topic of growth-promoting antibiotic alternatives and covering the period from 1990 to 2016, Schweer et al (2017) reported that 24% of studies with yeast products reported an improvement in ADG, 12% in ADFI and 11% in feed efficiency.…”