Fermented Alfalfa Meal Instead of “Grain-Type” Feedstuffs in the Diet Improves Intestinal Health Related Indexes in Weaned Pigs

Luo, Yuheng; Liu, Yang; Shen, Yuqing; He, Jun; Li, Hua; Lan, Cong; Li, Jiayan; Hong, Chen; Chen, Shuai; Ren, Zhihua; Yu, Bing; Huang, Zhiqing; Zheng, Ping; Mao, Xiangbing; Yu, Jie; Luo, Junqiu; Yan, Hui

doi:10.3389/fmicb.2021.797875

Cited by 3 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…They found that both compounds could increase the serum IgG levels, with alfalfa saponins being more effective than betaine. There are few studies on the effects of alfalfa saponins on immune function, instead of focusing on alfalfa meal or fermented alfalfa (25)(26)(27)(28). These studies have confirmed the immune-enhancing effects of alfalfa, but whether these effects are derived from alfalfa saponins needs to be further explored.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of alfalfa saponins on the production performance, serum biochemical factors, and immune factors in Small-Tailed Han sheep

Yang

Yang²,

Zhai³

et al. 2022

Front. Vet. Sci.

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This study aimed to determine the potential effects of alfalfa saponins on the production performance, serum biochemical factors, and immune factors in sheep. Twenty Small-Tailed Han sheep were equally and randomly divided into Groups 1–4, fed with diets containing 0, 5, 10, and 20 g alfalfa saponins per kg, respectively, for 40 consecutive days. During the treatments, the body weight change was recorded for each sheep. Before, during, and after the treatments of alfalfa saponins, serum was collected from each group to compare the levels of biochemical and immune factors. All sheep were killed after the treatments, and the longissimus dorsi muscle was collected to compare the meat quality. The results validated the effects of alfalfa saponins on the growth performance and meat quality in Small-Tailed Han sheep, and the supplementation level of 10 g/kg was the best. Alfalfa saponins also had effects on the levels of biochemical factors in serum. However, both dose- and time-dependent effects were observed. After a shorter feeding period (14 days), the concentrations of cholesterol (CHOL) and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) in Groups 2, 3, and 4 were all lower than those in the control group; however, when alfalfa saponins were continuously fed, this effect was not apparent or even gone. Supplying alfalfa saponins increased serum concentrations of IgA, IgG, IgE, IgM, IL-1, IFN-α, and IFN-β. And this effect was distinctly observed in Groups 3 and 4. Based on the current results, the alfalfa saponins concentration of 10 g/kg (for 14 consecutive days) could be suggested as the optimum ratio for good health conditions of Small-Tailed Han sheep.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of alfalfa saponins on the production performance, serum biochemical factors, and immune factors in Small-Tailed Han sheep

Yang

Yang²,

Zhai³

et al. 2022

Front. Vet. Sci.

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“…The average crude fiber content in alfalfa hay is ~24.8% ( 24 ), with insoluble dietary fiber, such as cellulose, hemicellulose, xylan, and lignin, accounting for more than 90% of the total ( 25 , 26 ). Regarding chemical classification, in alfalfa hay, non-structural carbohydrates such as sugar, pectin, and starch comprise 20–35% and structural carbohydrates such as cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin 30–50% of the total crude fiber content ( 27 ).…”

Section: The Nutritional Value Of Alfalfamentioning

confidence: 99%

“King of the forage”—Alfalfa supplementation improves growth, reproductive performance, health condition and meat quality of pigs

Huangfu²,

Yang³

et al. 2022

Front. Vet. Sci.

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As one kind of high-quality feed with rich nutrients, including high quality protein and amino acids, dietary fiber, enriched vitamins and mineral elements and bioactive molecules, alfalfa has been widely used in the production of ruminant livestock. As the understanding of alfalfa becomes more and more comprehensive, it is found that the high-quality nutrients in alfalfa could have positive effects on pigs. An increasing number of researches have shown that supplementing dietary alfalfa to the diet of gestating sows reduced constipation, alleviated abnormal behavior, improved satiety and reproductive performance; supplementing dietary alfalfa to the diet of piglets improved growth performance and intestinal barrier function, reduced intestinal inflammatory response and diarrhea; supplementing dietary alfalfa to the diet of growing-fattening pigs improved production performance and pork quality. Moreover, the mechanisms by which various nutrients of alfalfa exert their beneficial effects on pigs mainly including dietary fiber stimulating intestinal peristalsis, enhancing the activity of digestive enzymes, and promoting the colonization of beneficial bacteria in the intestinal tract through fermentation in the intestine, producing short-chain fatty acids and thus improving intestinal health; high quality protein and amino acids are beneficial to improve animal health condition; rich vitamins and mineral elements play an important role in various physiological functions and growth and development of the body; and bioactive molecules can improve the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory level. Therefore, alfalfa could be used as pig feed ingredient to alleviate various problems in the pig industry and to improve pig production performance. In this review, we detail the current application of alfalfa in pigs and discuss the potential mechanisms involved in how alfalfa improves growth and reproductive performance, pork quality, and intestinal health of the animals, thus laying the foundation for the increased application of high-quality forage in pig production.

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“…Research has shown that adding alfalfa silage to broiler feed can have a positive effect on the meat quality [14]. Fermented alfalfa can increase the content of beneficial bacteria and short chain fatty acids in weaned pig colon [15].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Alfalfa Silage Diet Improves Meat Quality by Remodeling the Intestinal Microbes of Fattening Pigs

Xu,

Liu,

Geng

et al. 2023

Foods

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Because the demand for pork is increasing, it is crucial to devise efficient and green methods to improve the quality and quantity of meat. This study investigated the improvement in pork quality after the inclusion of alfalfa meal or alfalfa silage in pig diet. Our results indicated that alfalfa silage improved meat quality more effectively in terms of water-holding capacity, drip loss, and marbling score. Besides, an alfalfa silage diet can affect the level of fatty acids and amino acids in pork. Further, alfalfa silage was found to improve meat quality by remodeling intestinal microbiota and altering the level of SCFAs, providing a viable option for improving meat quality through forage.

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Fermented Alfalfa Meal Instead of “Grain-Type” Feedstuffs in the Diet Improves Intestinal Health Related Indexes in Weaned Pigs

Cited by 3 publications

References 37 publications

Effects of alfalfa saponins on the production performance, serum biochemical factors, and immune factors in Small-Tailed Han sheep

Effects of alfalfa saponins on the production performance, serum biochemical factors, and immune factors in Small-Tailed Han sheep

“King of the forage”—Alfalfa supplementation improves growth, reproductive performance, health condition and meat quality of pigs

Alfalfa Silage Diet Improves Meat Quality by Remodeling the Intestinal Microbes of Fattening Pigs

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