Impacts of dietary fiber level on growth performance, apparent digestibility, intestinal development, and colonic microbiota and metabolome of pigs

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the roughage tolerance of different breeds of pigs. Mashen (MS; n = 80) and Duroc × Landrace × Yorkshire (DLY; n = 80) pigs with an initial body weight of 20 ± 0.5 kg were randomly allotted to four diet treatments (n = 20 of each breed) with different fiber levels. The dietary fiber levels increased by adding 0-28% soybean hull to replace corn and soybean meal partially. According to the neutral detergent fiber (NDF) level, all treatments were MS_9N (9% NDF), MS_13.5N (13.5% NDF), MS_18N (18% NDF), MS_22.5N (22.5% NDF), DLY_9N (9% NDF), DLY_13.5N (13.5% NDF), DLY_18N (18% NDF), and DLY_22.5N (22.5% NDF). The growth performance, nutrient digestibility, intestinal morphology, and colonic short-chain fatty acids of pigs were measured. The colonic microbiota and metabolome were analyzed using 16S rDNA gene sequencing and UHPLC-MS/MS. The average daily gain and daily feed intake of MS_18N and DLY_13.5N were increased compared with MS_9N and DLY_9N, respectively (P < 0.05). The digestibility of NDF and acid detergent fiber of MS_18N were greater than that of MS_9N (P < 0.05). The villus height /crypt depth (V/C) of the duodenum, jejunum, and ileum of MS_18N and MS_22.5N increased compared with MS_9N (P < 0.05), and the V/C of duodenum and ileum of DLY_22.5N decreased compared with DLY_9N (P < 0.05). The colonic acetic acid and butyric acid concentrations of MS_18N were greater than those of MS_9N and MS_13.5N (P < 0.05). The concentrations of acetic acid and butyric acid of DLY_13.5N increased compared with DLY_9N (P < 0.05). Prevotellaceae_NK3B31_group in MS_18N and Methanobrevibacter in MS_22.5N increased compared with other groups (P < 0.05). Increasing the NDF level in diets changed the lipid and amino acid metabolism pathways. In conclusion, appropriate fiber levels can promote pigs’ growth performance and intestinal development. The optimum fiber level of the MS pig was 18% NDF, while that of the DLY pig was 13.5%. This result indicates that MS pigs had strong fiber fermentation ability due to the higher abundance of the colonic microbiota that could fully ferment fiber and provide extra energy to MS pigs.

Different fat-to-fiber ratios by changing wheat inclusion level impact energy metabolism and microbial structure of broilers

“…In our study, the increasing fat-to-fiber ratios were accompanied by lower fiber content and NSP content. This was partly in consistent with studies that dietary high fiber or NSP content could enrich the abundance and diversity of microbiota and provide extra energy for animals ( Zhao et al, 2023 ). Bacteroidotas are capable of hydrolyzing indigestible carbohydrates.…”

Effects of Varying Levels of Wheat Bran Dietary Fiber on Growth Performance, Fiber Digestibility and Gut Microbiota in Erhualian and Large White Pigs

“…This incongruity may be attributable to divergent developmental stages of the porcine subjects during inter-breed comparisons. Prevailing methodologies favor employing pigs of comparable age [44,45] or body weight [20,46] for these analyses. However, given the inherent physiological disparities between local and commercial pig breeds, a myriad of confounding variables may impact the empirical outcomes.…”

“…Numerous variables, including dietary fiber levels, breed, and fiber source, modulate both the composition of fiber-degrading bacteria and the overall process of fiber digestion and absorption in pig [7]. While several studies have evidenced higher fiber digestibility in indigenous pig breeds relative to commercial lean pig breeds [19][20][21], specific bacterial communities driving this high fiber digestibility remain unidentified. Furthermore, conflicting reports suggest comparable fiber digestibility between local pig breeds and commercial pig breeds, potentially attributable to variations in body weight or physiological stage across these studies [22,23].…”

Study on the Characteristics of Coarse Feeding Tolerance of Ding’an Pigs: Phenotypic and Candidate Genes Identification

“…Feed expenditure constitutes over 70% of the total costs [9]. Compared to local Chinese pig breeds, these pigs exhibit limited utilization of roughage, leading to increased production expenses [10]. During periods of declining pork prices, farms often opted to augment the inclusion of roughage in feeds, replacing a portion of high-nutrient feed to mitigate costs.…”