Effects of dietary caprylic and capric acids on piglet performance and mucosal epithelium structure of the ileum

Abstract

Effects of a diet supplemented with caprylic and/or capric acid on piglet performance, apparent digestibility of nutrients, intestinal microflora and small intestine (ileum) structure were investigated. The experiment was performed on 252 piglets (24 litters) allocated to 4 experimental groups (6 litters each). The animals were fed with a standard feed mixture (control) or the same mixture supplemented with 2 g of caprylic or capric acid (groups C 8 and C 10 , respectively) per 1 kg of feed. Group C 8 +C 10 received 1 g of caprylic and 1 g of capric acid. Apparent digestibility was estimated using Cr 2 O 3 as an indicator, while microbiological analyses were performed using standard agar plates. The short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) content of the ileum and caecum digesta was analysed using Varian 340 analyzer. The piglets receiving caprylic or capric acids grew significantly (P<0.01) faster than the control ones (average daily gains during the whole experiment, i.e. between days 1 and 84 of age, were: 288, 269, 278 and 234 g, respectively). The best feed utilization (1.3 kg per kg) was found in animals receiving caprylic acid. The acids also lowered piglet mortality, while significantly increased protein digestibility (P<0.01) and, to a lesser degree (P<0.05), also fibre digestibility. There was no significant difference in acidity of the digesta between control and experimental groups. Capric acid increased the amount of aerobic bacteria as compared to the control group, but the amount of Escherichia coli remained unchanged. The population of Clostridium perfringens was reduced by both caprylic and capric acids (P<0.01). Acids had no effect on SCFA content of the ileum but lowered the acetic acid content of the caecum digesta. Capric acid had the strongest effect on villi, which were significantly higher (306 μm) than in the control group (233 μm). Differences 557 HANCZAKOWSKA E. ET AL.in crypt depth were smaller but the crypts were also the deepest in piglets receiving capric acid. The results suggest that caprylic and capric acids added to the feed improve piglet performance, probably due to positive changes in the mucosal epithelium structure of the ileum.

The effects of dietary medium-chain triacylglycerols on growth performance and intestinal microflora in young pigs

“…The finding that dietary supplementation with MCT improves the AD of crude protein of young pigs aligns with recent findings (Hanczakowska et al, 2011;Hong et al, 2012). Hanczakowska et al (2011) indicated that MCT changes the structure of small intestinal mucosa, i.e.…”

“…The finding that dietary supplementation with 4.8% MCT increases the feed utilization efficiency of young pigs agrees with the findings in weanling pigs (Dierick et al, 2002b;Hanczakowska et al, 2011) and in broilers (Chiang et al, 1990a) when lower levels of MCT (i.e. 0.2%-5% in the diet) were fed.…”

“…Hanczakowska et al (2011) indicated that MCT changes the structure of small intestinal mucosa, i.e. increased villus height, and may increase the AD of crude protein of young pigs.…”

“…Recently, however, researchers have found that a low dietary level of MCT (i.e. 0.2%-5%) could improve the growth performance of weanling pigs (Dierick et al, 2002b;Hanczakowska et al, 2011;Hong et al, 2012) and broilers (Chiang et al, 1990a).…”

“…Recently, however, it was found that dietary MCFA could inhibit Lactobacillus, Streptococcus and Escherichia coli in the stomach and small intestine (Dierick et al, 2002a,b) and Clostridium perfringer in the small intestine (Hanczakowska et al, 2011) of weanling pigs. The bactericidal effect of antibiotics is one of the reasons for their growthpromoting effects in animals.…”