Growth performance, digestibility and faecal coliform bacteria in weaned piglets fed a cereal-based diet including either chicory (Cichorium intybus L) or ribwort (Plantago lanceolata L) forage

Abstract

Twenty-five weaned 35-day-old piglets were used in a 35-day growth experiment to evaluate the effect of inclusion of chicory and ribwort forage in a cereal-based diet on growth performance, feed intake, digestibility and shedding of faecal coliform bacteria. A total of seven experimental diets were formulated, a cereal-based basal diet (B), and six diets with inclusion of 40, 80 and 160 g/kg chicory (C40, C80 and C160) or ribwort (R40, R80 and R160). Piglets had ad libitum access to feed and water throughout the experiment. Three and five weeks post-weaning faeces samples for determination of digestibility were collected once a day for five subsequent days. Additional faeces samples for determination of coliform counts were collected at days 1, 16 and 35 post-weaning. Piglets fed diet R160 had the lowest average daily feed intake (DFI) and daily weight gain (DWG), and differed ( P , 0.05) from piglets fed diets B, R40 and R80. There were no differences in DFI and DWG between the chicory diets and diet B. Inclusion of chicory or ribwort had a minor negative impact on the coefficient of total tract apparent digestibility (CTTAD) of dry matter, organic matter and crude protein, whereas inclusion of both chicory and ribwort resulted in higher CTTAD of non-starch polysaccharides and neutral detergent fibre (NDF). The CTTAD of arabinose were higher for diets C160 and R160 than for diet B ( P , 0.05), and the CTTAD of uronic acid was higher for diets C40, C80, C160, R80 and R160 than for diet B ( P , 0.05). Age affected the CTTAD for all parameters ( P , 0.05) except for NDF, with higher values at 5 than at 3 weeks post-weaning. The coliform counts decreased with increasing age ( P , 0.05), but was not affected by treatment. The results indicate that inclusion of up to 160 g/kg of chicory do not negatively affect performance, whereas high inclusion of ribwort have a negative impact on feed consumption and consequently on growth rate. Both herbs have a higher digestibility of fibre compared to cereal fibre. Chicory and ribwort are both promising as feedstuffs to weaned piglets, but the low palatability of ribwort limits the inclusion level.

Impact of chicory inclusion in a cereal-based diet on digestibility, organ size and faecal microbiota in growing pigs

“…Inclusion of 80 g/kg chicory forage or root did not impair the CTTAD of OM or energy, and inclusion of 160 g/kg only gave minor impairment of the same parameters, whereas the CTTAD of NSP, especially uronic acids, increased with increased chicory forage inclusion, which is in agreement with a previous study (Ivarsson et al, 2011). This can be explained by differences in chemical composition of the plant cell walls between the fibre sources compared in this study.…”

“…This is in agreement with previous studies where chicory forage and inulin have been included in diets of weaned piglets (Halas et al, 2009;Ivarsson et al, 2011). It should be noted that these studies have used few animals per treatment in short-term experiments, and to fully explore the potential of chicory feeding on growth performance long-term feeding trials need to be performed.…”

“…The chicory forage has a high content (150 g/kg dry matter, DM) of uronic acids, which in dicotyledonous plants are derived from galactouronic acid, and are the building blocks of pectin (Voragen et al, 2001). Recent studies in weaned pigs have shown a high growth performance and a high NSP digestibility, with only minor negative impact on total tract nutrient and energy digestibility on cereal-based diets with up to 160 g/kg chicory forage inclusion (Ivarsson et al, 2011). No studies on the effects of chicory forage on the pig microbiota have yet been reported.…”

Genetic diversity and relationship of chicory (Cichorium intybus L.) using sequence-related amplified polymorphism markers

“…Therefore, it is considered to be an important economic plant with extreme potential for future development (Bais and Ravishankar, 2001;de Kraker et al, 2001;Sulas, 2004;Nandagopal and Kumari, 2007). As forage, chicory is rich in nutrition, yields, palatability, digestibility, resistance to adversity, and pest resistance (de Kraker et al, 2002;Sulas, 2004;Ivarsson et al, 2011). Research has shown that the nutrition of chicory is virtually equivalent to and even surpasses some varieties of alfalfa (Sulas, 2004).…”

Inclusion of Chicory (Cichorium intybus L.) in Pigs' Diets Affects the Intestinal Microenvironment and the Gut Microbiota

“…These substrates, commonly referred to as prebiotics, can alter gut bacterial composition, modify intestinal fermentation processes, promote gut development, and possibly improve host health (9). Chicory (Cichorium intybus L.) is a perennial herb that can be used as a fiber source in pig diets (17). Chicory root, which has a high content of inulin-type fructan and oligofructose, is a prototype prebiotic for monogastrics (32).…”