Effects of Fermented Tea Residue on Fattening Performance, Meat Quality, Digestive Performance, Serum Antioxidant Capacity, and Intestinal Morphology in Fatteners

Abstract

This study investigated the dietary supplementation of tea residue fermented by Bacillus subtilis, Aspergillus niger, and Saccharomyces cerevisiae, to explore its effects on growth performance, digestion performance, meat quality, serum antioxidant capacity, and intestinal morphology in pigs bred for rapid growth, also known as fatteners. One hundred and ninety-two healthy “Duroc × Landrace × Yorkshire” ternary hybrid pigs (body weight 70 ± 1.0 kg) were randomly divided into four groups according to the feeding test requirements, with four replicates in each group, and 12 fatteners per replicate. The control group (CG) was fed the basal diet. Treatments 1 (T1), 2 (T2), and 3 (T3), comprising ratios of 10%, 15%, and 20% of tea residue were added to the basal diet. The test period was 60 days. The results showed that supplementation of FTR in fatteners’ diets increased final body weight (FBW), average daily gain (ADG), and feed conversion ratio (FCR) in the T1 and T2 groups (p < 0.05). Compared with the other groups, the lightness (L*) and pH were significantly affected in the T2 group (p < 0.05). Compared with the CG, dietary supplementation of FTR significantly increased the nutrient digestibility of crude protein (CP), ether extract (EE), calcium (Ca), and phosphorus (P), improved the lipase and trypsin activities, and reduced drip loss and the shear force of fatteners (p < 0.05). Glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) and total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC) were significantly increased in the T2 and T3 groups compared with the other groups (p < 0.05). Supplementation of FTR in the jejunum significantly increased the villi height of the T2 group and the ratio of villi height to crypt depth of the FTR groups. Compared with the other two groups, the T2 and T3 groups significantly reduced the ratio of the villous height to crypt depth in the duodenum (p < 0.05). In conclusion, the tea residue after fermentation was shown to have beneficial effects on the fattening performance, digestion performance, meat quality, serum antioxidant capacity, and intestinal morphology of fatteners.

Effects of phytosterol supplementation on growth performance, serum lipid, proinflammatory cytokines, intestinal morphology, and meat quality of white feather broilers

“…The ratio of villus height to crypt depth can reflect the function of the small intestine. Decreased ratios indicate damage to the mucosa, reduced digestion and absorption and are often accompanied by diarrhea and growth retardation ( Ding et al., 2020 ). Our research showed that dietary PS supplementation improved the immune function of the intestines, contributing to better intestinal health status.…”

“…Previous studies have reported that muscle pH, meat color, water, and tenderness can comprehensively reflect meat quality ( Ding et al., 2020 ). A low pH is related to the accumulation of lactic acid caused by anaerobic respiration, which may affect water retention capacity ( Qi et al., 2010 ).…”

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“…In the present study, pigs fed with FCF had higher ALP, GLU, IgG, IgM, SOD, and T-AOC levels compared with pigs that received basal feed, which demonstrated that FCF has benefit for animal growth, nutrition absorption, and animal health. Similar results have been obtained in other studies using fermented feed (39)(40)(41). Health benefit effects of FCF may be related to probiotics contained in fermented feed.…”

Effects of Maternal Fiber Intake on Intestinal Morphology, Bacterial Profile and Proteome of Newborns Using Pig as Model

“…Villous height is regarded as a sign of surface area of nutrient absorption, and crypt depth can reflect the epithelial cell proliferation, which could be deeper if there is higher epithelial cell turnover [ 21 ]. Late gestation is the rapid development period for fetal intestine [ 22 ].…”