The effects of dietary herbs and coral mineral complex on growth performance, nutrient digestibility, blood characteristics and meat quality in finishing pigs

Abstract

Eighty crossbred pigs of initial mean body weight 58 kg were used to evaluate the effect of supplemental herbs and coral mineral complex (HC) on growth performance, nutrient digestibility, blood characteristics and meat quality in a 8 weeks growth trial. Pigs were randomly allocated to 4 treatments, which comprised: 1. control, 2. HC 0.05%, 3. HC 0.1%, and 4. HC 0.2%, respectively (4 pigs/pen, 5 replicates/treatment). Gain/feed linearly increased during week 4-8 (P<0.05) and overall period (P<0.10) with increasing HC level. Digestibility of DM and N during week 0-4 increased linearly with an increasing HC level (P<0.005). Serum IgG concentrations linearly increased with the increase of HC supplementation (P<0.01). Cortisol concentrations tended (P<0.10) to decrease linearly with increasing level of HC. The linear reduction of subjective scores for marbling (P<0.01) and firmness (P<0.01) of the longissimus muscle were observed. In conclusion, supplementation of HC improved feed efficiency and increased IgG and cortisol concentration in serum.

Effects of Scutellaria baicalensis and Lonicera japonica extract mixture supplementation on growth performance, nutrient digestibility, blood profiles and meat quality in finishing pigs

“…Therefore, it can be concluded that the HEM (S. baicalensis and L. japonica) used in this study may play a key role in reducing stress in pigs. In accordance with the present study, Wang et al (2007) reported that the inclusion of herbs could linearly decline serum cortisol level in finishing pigs. It has been demonstrated that a large group of plant-derived compounds in herbs, such as alkaloids, flavonoids, phenolics, and essential oils possess antistress, tranquilising and sedative properties (Pei 1991).…”

“…Yan et al (2011b) also demonstrated that a complex herbal extract powder has a positive effect on BW, ADG and ADFI in finishing pigs. In contrast, lack of effects of herbs or their extract supplementation on growth performance in finishing pigs was observed by Wang et al (2007) and Ao et al (2011). These inconsistency results may be due to the selection of particular herb materials, forms of their administration (herbal plants, herbal extracts or oils), the amount of herbs, as well as the interactive of different herbs (Frankič et al 2009).…”

“…Similar effects of herbs in finishing pigs were reported in previous studies. Wang et al (2007) demonstrated that dietary supplementation with herbs increased the nutrient digestibility of DM and N. Yan et al (2011b) suggested that the inclusion of Houttuynia cordata and Taraxacum officinale led to a higher ATTD of DM and N. It is generally accepted that the phytogenic additives could improve digestive tract function by increasing the activity of digestive enzymes of gastric mucosa and the nutrient utilisation of livestock (Chrubasik et al 2005;Srinivasan 2005). In addition, herbs could inhibit pathogenic microorganism's growth and modify intestinal microbiota because of the antibacterial properties, as a result, provide beneficial effects on the gastrointestinal ecosystem.…”

“…Yan et al (2012a) reported that a complex herbal extracts had beneficial effects on nutrient digestibility and gut microbial flora in weaning pigs. In addition, the positive effect of herbal extract has been observed in growing and finishing pigs (Wang et al 2007;Yan et al 2011aYan et al , 2011b. However, the inconsistent results of the experiments on various herbal materials have also been reported (Nofrarias et al 2006;Oetting et al 2006;Ao et al 2011;Costa et al 2011).…”

Effects of Herbiotic FS supplementation on growth performance, nutrient digestibility, blood profiles, and faecal scores in weanling pigs

“…During the last decades, phytogenic feed additives have been wildly used as an alternative to antibiotics because of their plant-derived property and growth-promoting effects (Hong et al 2004;Wang et al 2007;Wang et al 2008;Windisch et al 2008;Jang et al 2010;Ao et al 2011). Valchev et al (2009) demonstrated that herbal extracts (150 mg/kg) in pig diet could increase growth performance, feed efficiency, and immune-related blood characteristics.…”