Search Results (140)

Crude protein (CP) decrease coupled to amino acid (AAs) supplementation is interesting for swine nutrition. A proteomics approach unraveled physiological events underlying differences between sexes fed two diets: control and low CP in fast-growing Duroc X (Landrace X Large white) finishing pigs. Sixty animals per sex were distributed in pens (five replicate pens/group), fed ad libitum with two isoenergetic diets (145 vs. 125 g CP/kg with AA supplementation; control and low-CP) for 42 days. Semimembranosus muscle was sampled. Five samples per group were used for Label Free proteomics. Four comparisons were considered: Control Males vs. Control Females; Control Females vs. Low CP females; Control males vs. Low CP males, and Low CP males vs. Low CP females, identifying, respectively, 26, 19, 12, and 11 DAPs (Differentially Accumulated Proteins). Control males had higher abundance of proteins related to cell differentiation and growth compared to females, highlighting continual muscle accretion in the former and lipogenesis onset in the latter. Control females and males had increased DAPs related to tissue growth and differentiation compared to Low CP animals that had increased lipid accretion. Both sexes reacted similarly to the two diets. Low CP diet led to advanced lipogenesis and decreased muscle accretion pathways. Full article

Previous studies have demonstrated that follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) plays a critical role in promoting adipogenesis. Surgical castration results in elevated FSH concentrations in pigs, and is accompanied by reduced feed efficiency. This study aimed to investigate the effects of a novel FSH vaccine comprising FSHβ13AA-tandem-ovalbumin conjugate on growth performance and meat quality in barrows. Twenty-four barrows with initial body weight of 32.54 ± 1.90 kg and 12-week age, were randomly assigned to three groups: Placebo-immunized, GnRH-immunized, and FSH-immunized. At three weeks after booster immunization, the FSH-immunized group exhibited significantly improved feed efficiency compared to GnRH-immunized barrows. Compared to the Placebo-immunized group, GnRH and FSH vaccination reduced average backfat thickness by 0.90% and 4.55%, abdominal fat weight by 3.49% and 10.56%, and abdominal fat percentage by 4.09% and 11.95%, respectively. Moreover, the FSH-immunized group showed a significant increase in liver weight relative to the Placebo-immunized group. In addition, compared with the control group, at slaughter FSH vaccination significantly increased muscle pH at 45 min, drip loss at 24 h, and shear force (p < 0.05). These results demonstrate that active immunization against FSH in barrows can enhance feed efficiency and reduce adiposity, as well as influence the meat quality. Full article

The gut microbiota plays a crucial role in maintaining swine health and understanding its stage-specific variations provides a scientific basis for health assessment. This study investigated the structural changes in intestinal microbiota during the development of Sichuan–Tibetan black pigs (n = 15) by collecting fecal samples at three growth stages: the nursery period (1 month), growing period (3 months), and finishing period (10 months). Microbial profiling was performed using 16S rRNA sequencing. Results showed no significant difference in the Shannon index between the nursery and growing periods, while the finishing period exhibited distinct ACE and Chao 1 indices compared to other stages. PCoA and NMDS analyses revealed significant structural divergence in the finishing period microbiota, with greater intra-group variability observed in the nursery and growing periods. At the phylum level, Firmicutes abundance increased progressively with growth, becoming the absolute dominant phylum, whereas Bacteroidota showed a declining trend. These characteristics are particularly prominent during the finishing period. At the family level, Lactobacillaceae abundance increased continuously. Oscillospiraceae remained stable during the early stages but decreased significantly in the finishing period. Genus-level analysis shows that Lactobacillus, especially L. amylovorus and L. reuteri, become dominant bacterial species during the finishing period. A total of 84 differentially abundant core microbiota were identified, with the finishing period containing the highest number. Functional annotation revealed 19 significantly different metabolic pathways across the three stages. The most significant is the enhanced activity of microorganisms during the finishing period in pathogen-related metabolism and exogenous degradation, reflecting their adaptability to complex feed. These findings demonstrate stage-dependent variations in the gut microbiota of Sichuan–Tibetan black pigs, providing valuable references for nutritional regulation and feeding management practices. Full article

Intensive pig production practices may shape cognition and behavior. We evaluated whether repeated regrouping (mixing) and gender (gilts vs. barrows) affect social interactions, fear-related responses, and affective state. A total of 96 growing pigs were separated into two treatments: control—pigs that were mixed once during the growing–finishing period; and social stress—pigs that were mixed thrice during the growing–finishing period. Social and non-social behaviors were directly noted, and four behavioral tests were conducted: open field, novel object, couples, and judgment bias tests. The statistical analysis compared gender and treatment, and p-values ≤ 0.05 were considered significant. Females stayed longer in the test pen entrance area during the novel object test and barrows spent more time at the feeder and defecated more during the couples’ test. With regard to the judgment bias test, females took longer to be considered trained in the discriminatory learning task and presented a “pessimistic judgment” during the ambiguous cue. Our results suggest that gender influences judgment bias in pigs and can influence social and non-social behavior, which may reflect a negative affective state with implications for their welfare and management. Full article

In swine production, it is broadly recognized that ventilation rates and indoor environmental conditions influence pig productivity. However, sparse scientific data are available on the combined effects and potential interactions of these factors in commercial production systems. This study investigated indoor environmental and management factors influencing wean-to-finish pig mortality in a commercial system. Temperature, relative humidity (RH), and carbon dioxide (CO₂) were recorded every 10 min in the front and back of 16 barns across five grow-finish sites in eastern North Carolina for two turns (four barns) or three turns (12 barns) for a total of 44 pig groups. Proportional weekly mortality was modeled using a generalized linear mixed model. Results showed that pigs in environments warmer than the desired room temperature had lower mortality (p < 0.001), suggesting cold stress was more detrimental than heat stress. Elevated RH and CO₂ at the back of the barn were linked to increased mortality (p < 0.001), highlighting air exchange rates as a key indicator. Mortality was greatest in pig groups placed during Spring and lowest in Summer (p < 0.05), and mortality declined as pigs aged (p = 0.0134). Surprisingly, greater barn occupancy correlated with lower mortality (p = 0.0012), potentially related to piglet quality at placement. The predictive power of the model varied with the turn of pigs, with R² averaging 0.24 (ranging from 0.001 to 0.61) and an average RMSE of 0.36% (ranging from 0.17% to 0.77%). Ammonia (NH₃) was recorded at the back of six barns, and concentrations were modeled. Greater NH₃ concentrations were associated with increased pig age, RH, and CO₂, as well as lower deviation from desired room temperature and lower barn occupancy. Collectively, these findings highlight the importance of proper ventilation and management on swine productivity. Full article

This experiment was performed to evaluate the optimum level of net energy (NE) to improve growth performance and nutrient digestibility, and reduce noxious gas emissions in growing–finishing pigs. A total of 150 pigs ([Yorkshire × Landrace] × Duroc) with an initial average body weight (BW) of 32.64 ± 1.49 kg were randomly assigned to one of five treatments for 112 days (16 weeks: growing stage, initial–week 6; finishing stage, 6-finish/week 16). There were five treatment groups with six replicates and five pigs (three males and two females) per pen. The dietary treatment includes CON, a basal diet (NE 2475 kcal/kg), TRT1, basal diet −5.0% NE (2353 kcal/kg), TRT2, basal diet −2.5% NE (2414 kcal/kg), TRT3, basal diet +2.5% NE (2537 kcal/kg), and TRT4, basal diet +5.0% NE (2599 kcal/kg). Through the experiment, increasing NE by +5.0% increased average daily gain and bodyweight, having the highest value (p < 0.05) and a decreased feed conversion ratio (p < 0.05), whereas decreasing NE by −5% decreased average daily gain (p < 0.05) and increased feed conversion ratio (p < 0.05) at week 6 with no effects on nutrient digestibility and noxious gas emission. Hence, integrating the increasing level of net energy (NE) with +5.0% into the pig diet during the growing–finishing phase can be considered the appropriate approach for enhancing both average daily gain and feed efficiency in pigs. A +5% (2599 kcal/kg) increase in NE has the potential to reduce costs by lowering the amount of feed needed while either sustaining or improving growth, as the use of energy-dense ingredients becomes more cost effective. Full article

Estimated population growth and increased demand for food production bring with them the evident need for more efficient and sustainable production systems. Because of this, computer vision plays a fundamental role in the development and application of solutions that help producers with the issues that limit livestock production in Brazil and the world. In addition to being stressful for the producer and the animal, the conventional pig weighing system causes productive losses and can compromise meat quality, being considered a practice that does not value animal welfare. The objective was to develop a computational procedure to predict the live weight of pigs in the growth and finishing phases, through the volume of the animals extracted through the processing of 3D images, as well as to analyze the real and estimated biometric measurements to define the relationships of these with live weight and volume obtained. The study was conducted at Roçadinho farm, in the municipality of Capoeiras, located in the Agreste region of the state of Pernambuco, Brazil. The variables weight and 3D images were obtained using a Kinect^®—V2 camera and biometric measurements of 20 animals in the growth phase and 24 animals in the finishing phase, males and females, from the crossing of Pietrain and Large White, totaling 44 animals. To analyze the images, a program developed in Python (PyCharm Community Edition 2020.1.4) was used, to relate the variables, principal component analyses and regression analyzes were performed. The coefficient of linear determination between weight and volume was 73.3, 74.1, and 97.3% for pigs in the growing, finishing, and global phases, showing that this relationship is positive and satisfactorily expressed the weight of the animals. The relationship between the real and estimated biometric variables had a more expressive coefficient of determination in the global phase, having presented values between 77 and 94%. Full article

In cold-temperature regions, particularly on family farms, threats to livestock health constrain the potential of livestock husbandry. This study aimed to explore the effects of different dietary energy levels, adjusted by oil addition, on gut microbiota and metabolic homeostasis at cold temperatures. Twenty-four healthy pigs were randomly divided into two groups and fed a basal diet (BD) or a basal diet supplemented with oil (OD, with net energy increased by 100 kcal/kg) for 103 days. The cold temperature and humidity were maintained at 14 ± 2 °C and 65 ± 10%, respectively. On day 103 of the experiment, six pigs per group (three barrows and three females) were slaughtered after an overnight fast for sample collection: colon, colonic contents, plasma, and liver. The results showed that dietary oil addition remodeled the gut microbiota, forming a healthier microbial community characterized by a higher abundance of Paludibacter, Parabacteroides, Peptococcaceae, and UCG-008 and a lower abundance of Actinomyces, Turicibacter, Staphylococcus, Megamonas, Fusobacterium, and Achromobacter (p < 0.05). Consistently, dietary oil addition resulted in higher levels of short-chain fatty acids (isobutyrate and isovalerate) and the Claudin-1 protein in the colon (p < 0.05). Plasma analysis showed that dietary oil addition increased energy metabolism and decreased inflammation. This change was characterized by higher levels of glucocorticoid, citrate, corticosterone, taurodeoxycholic acid, and ascorbic acid and lower levels of IL-6 and hypoxanthine (p < 0.05). Transcriptomic and protein expression results in the liver further indicated that dietary oil addition alleviated energy stress and apoptosis by modulating metabolic states at cold temperatures. In conclusion, dietary oil addition improved gut health at cold temperatures in growing–finishing pigs, which was inextricably linked to the remodeling of the gut microbiota and metabolic states. Full article

Zinc is an essential trace mineral for livestock, but excessive use can contribute to ecotoxicity and antimicrobial resistance. The objective of this study was to assess the impact of different zinc oxide (ZnO) levels in diets for weaned pigs on growth performance, mortality, dietary zinc flow, and environmental impacts. A 6-week feeding trial with 432 weaned pigs assessed three dietary treatments: high ZnO (pharmaceutical levels), intermediate ZnO, and low ZnO (EU recommendation). Growth performance for the growing–finishing period was modeled using the NRC (2012), and dietary Zn intake and fecal Zn excretion were estimated. Environmental impacts were analyzed via life cycle assessment (LCA) using SimaPro LCA software. High ZnO improved growth performance and reduced mortality (p < 0.05), but increased nursery fecal zinc excretion, resulting in a total fecal Zn excretion per pig of 54,125 mg, 59,485 mg, and 106,043 mg for low-, intermediate-, and high-ZnO treatments, respectively. In the nursery phase, high-ZnO treatment had the greatest impact on environmental footprint, increasing freshwater ecotoxicity and marine ecotoxicity indicators by 59.6% and 57.9%, respectively. However, high-ZnO-fed pigs had a greater body weight at the end of the nursery phase and were predicted to achieve a higher growth rate per 130 kg market pig, with fewer days to market and by sparing feed. Therefore, high-ZnO-fed pigs had reduced environmental burdens, including global warming potential, ozone depletion, land use, and mineral resource depletion. These findings demonstrate how livestock nutritionists can apply integrated modeling approaches to link animal performance with environmental outcomes within a One Health framework. Full article

This study investigated the possibility of partial replacement of genetically modified soybean meal (SBM) with raw white lupin (WL) seeds in growing pigs’ diets and determined its impact on performance [body weight (BW), average daily gain (ADG), and average daily feed intake (ADFI)], meat quality, and fatty acid profile (FA). A total of 54 male crossbred pigs [(Topigs Large White × Norsvin Landrace) × Duroc], aged 12 weeks, with an initial average BW of 30.30 ± 0.77 kg, were divided into three dietary groups of 18 piglets each. The control group (CON) was fed a standardized SBM-based complete feed. In the experimental groups (WL1 and WL2) the SBM was replaced with increasing levels of WL seeds [WL1-5.0% and WL2-10.0% (grower period, 30–60 kg BW), and WL1-7.0% and WL2-14.0% (finisher period, 61–110 kg BW)]. All diets were formulated to be isocaloric and isonitrogenous with similar content of total lysine and sulphur amino acids, calcium, and available phosphorus. At the end of 83 days’ fattening trial, the animals were slaughtered. Longissimus dorsi muscle (LD) was sampled for analyses of the physicochemical traits. The results show that increasing the dietary raw WL concentration decreased final BW (p = 0.039), ADG (p < 0.0001), and ADFI (p = 0.004) throughout the experimental period, especially in the second phase of feeding. Dietary treatments did not affect the pigs’ blood biochemical constituents. Concerning LD muscle characteristics, the redness color (a*) and collagen content was higher (p < 0.0001) in the WL1/WL2 vs. CON group. Beneficial decrease in the values of some textural attributes (hardness, gumminess, chewiness, and resilience) of LD in the WL1/WL2 vs. CON group was registered. The use of WL had a significant effect on the content of FAs, especially for eicosapentaenoic (p = 0.014) and n-3 PUFA (p = 0.045), which were higher than those fed the CON diet. In conclusion, WL could be used as a replacement of SBM in growing–finishing pigs’ diets, with significant improvements in the meat fatty acid profile and technological properties. Full article

This research investigated the impact of corn–soybean meal-based fermented feed on the growth performance, pork quality, and fatty acid profiles of lean-type finishing pigs. A total of 80 lean-type growing DLY (Duroc × Landrace–Yorkshire) pigs were randomly assigned to 2 groups, with 5 replicates of 8 pigs per pen. The pigs in control group (CON group) were fed a basal diet, while the pigs in fermented feed group (FF group) were fed a diet supplemented with 10% fermented feed. The experimental period lasted 70 days. Results exhibited that pigs in FF group had a significant increase in final body weight and average daily gain (ADG) (p < 0.05) and had a significant decrease in the feed-to-gain ratio (F/G) (p < 0.05). The FF group also exhibited significant promotion in muscle intramuscular fat content, marbling score, and meat color and significantly reduced the meat shear force and drip loss (p < 0.05). Serum analysis indicated that fermented feed significantly elevated blood glucose, total cholesterol, triglyceride levels, and serum hormones such as insulin, leptin, and IGF-1 (p < 0.05). Additionally, fermented feed significantly elevated the levels of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) and monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs), whereas it decreased the saturated fatty acids (SFAs) contents (p < 0.05). The fermented feed also significantly enhanced pork nutritional values (p < 0.05). The fermented feed increased the expression of IGF-1, SREBP1c, PDE3, PPARγ, SCD5, and FAT/CD36 mRNA (p < 0.05). Furthermore, microbial 16S rDNA analysis uncovered that FF supplementation significantly reduced the Campilobacterota phylum abundance, while increasing the genus abundances of Clostridium_sensu_stricto, norank_f_Oscillospiraceae, unclassified_c_Clostridia, and V9D2013 (p < 0.05). In summary, the results indicated that the microbial fermented feed exhibited the regulation effects on pork quality and nutritional values of lean-type pigs through regulating lipid metabolism and gut microbial composition. Full article

This study aimed to investigate the effects of adding 360 mg/kg niacinamide (NAM) to diets on nutrient metabolism, providing insights into how dietary NAM supplementation enhances nitrogen utilization and growth performance in pigs. Forty growing–finishing pigs were randomly assigned to one of four experimental diets as follows: basal diet + 30 mg/kg NAM (CON), basal diet + 360 mg/kg NAM (CON + NAM), low-protein diet + 30 mg/kg NAM (LP), and low-protein diet + 360 mg/kg NAM (LP + NAM). Results showed that supplementation of both the CON and LP diets with 360 mg/kg NAM resulted in decreased urea nitrogen concentrations and carbamyl phosphate synthetase-I activity (p < 0.05). The pyruvate dehydrogenase activity in the serum and liver, as well as the activity of pyruvate dehydrogenase, citrate synthase, and glutamate dehydrogenase 1 in the ileum mucosa, was increased by supplementing the LP diet with 360 mg/kg NAM (p < 0.05). The LP diet with 360 mg/kg NAM increased the villi length to crypt depth, mRNA expression of glucose transporters 1 and 2 and alanine-serine-cysteine transporter 1, and mRNA expression of mechanistic target of the rapamycin 1 in the ileum (p < 0.05). Additionally, 360 mg/kg NAM supplementation in the LP diet reduced ileal Lactobacillus abundance (LDA > 4) and increased ileal microbial nucleotide and purine metabolism (p < 0.05). Our findings suggest that addition of 360 mg/kg NAM to the LP diet reduced urea production in the liver, enhanced glucose and amino acid absorption and transport in the ileum, and improved glucose metabolism. Full article

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of fermented pine needles on the carcass traits, meat quality, and antioxidant capacity of finishing pigs. In total, 80 Duroc × (Landrace × Large white) crossbred pigs of approximately 4 months of age, with an initial body weight of 60.5 ± 2.5 kg, were randomly assigned to four experimental treatments, which were then denoted as the control treatment (basal diet), the fermented pine needle (FR) 1 treatment, the FR2 treatment, and the FR3 treatment (the pigs were fed the basal diet supplemented with 1.0, 2.0, and 3.0% fermented pine needles, respectively) for 55 d. The obtained results showed that, compared with the CON group, the fermented pine needle treatments increased the lean meat percentage, total antioxidative capacity, and superoxide dismutase activity in the serum and longissimus dorsi muscle. In addition, the treatments increased the mRNA expression levels of SOD1, catalase, and Nrf2 in the muscle and decreased the malondialdehyde activity in the serum and longissimus dorsi muscle and the Keap1 mRNA expression level. Compared with the CON and FR1 treatment, the FR2 and FR3 treatments increased springiness, serum GSH-Px activity, and longissimus dorsi muscle CAT activity, and decreased hardness, chewiness, gumminess, and cohesiveness. Moreover, compared with the CON treatment and other fermented pine needle treatments, the FR2 treatment not only significantly elevated the carcass weight, dressing percentage, pH_24h, a* value (redness), and marbling scores of the finishing pigs, but also remarkably reduced the L* value (lightness), b* value (yellowness), and shear force in the meat quality. In conclusion, the experiment indicated that the addition of fermented pine needles to the diet has no negative impact on the carcass characteristics of finishing pigs and could improve the tenderness and freshness of the meat, as evidenced by the modified antioxidant enzyme activity and mRNA expression levels of antioxidant genes in the muscles of finishing pigs. Full article

In recent years, much attention has been paid to environmental protection, not only by reducing emissions of harmful gases from industry, but also by reducing the excretion of biogenic compounds or ammonia emissions from agriculture, including animal production. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of complete diets with reduced inclusion levels of crude protein and limiting essential amino acids, fed to pigs in two- and three-phase feeding systems, and the feeding system on crude protein digestibility, nitrogen retention and utilization, fecal and urinary pH, fecal and urinary nitrogen and ammonia levels, and nitrogen excretion. Digestibility-balance trials were performed on 24 growing–finishing pigs housed in individual metabolism crates, in three groups, in two- and three-phase feeding systems. The pigs were fed the following diets: C-control diet; L-low-protein diet where the levels of crude protein and essential amino acids (lysine, methionine + cystine, threonine, and tryptophan) were reduced by 15% relative to diet C; L+AA-low-protein diet supplemented with crystalline lysine, methionine, threonine, and tryptophan to the standard levels (as in diet C). Diets L fed to pigs in two- and three-phase feeding systems significantly decreased crude protein digestibility and nitrogen retention, particularly in the three-phase system. The supplementation of diets L+AA with crystalline essential amino acids improved crude protein digestibility and nitrogen retention and utilization, especially in the two-phase system. Reduced concentrations of crude protein and essential amino acids in diets L contributed to a significant increase in feces and urine acidity in both two- and three-phase feeding systems. The supplementation of diets L+AA with essential amino acids resulted in a significant increase in urinary pH and a non-significant increase in fecal pH. This experimental factor had no effect on fecal ammonia concentration in group L+AA. The values of pH and total fecal nitrogen were somewhat higher in the two-phase system than in the three-phase system. Fecal ammonia concentration was similar in both systems. The three-phase feeding system contributed to a decrease in urinary pH and total urinary nitrogen. The analyzed feeding systems had no significant effect on urinary ammonia concentration. It was estimated that a reduction in crude protein (by 20–25 g/kg) and essential amino acid levels in pig diets, relative to the standard levels, reduced nitrogen excretion by 18.7% and 15.6% in two- and three-phase feeding systems, respectively. The supplementation of low-protein diets (L) with lysine, methionine, threonine, and tryptophan induced a further reduction in nitrogen excretion. A comparison of the effects of feeding systems (two-phase system vs. three-phase system) on crude protein digestibility and nitrogen retention and utilization revealed that better results were obtained in the two-phase feeding system. Full article

Gut health is crucial for pigs because it affects nutrient absorption, immune function, and growth performance. However, its definition remains unclear, particularly regarding measurable responses in scientific studies. This review critically analyzed studies assessing intestinal health in pigs during the nursery, growing, and finishing phases, focusing on the invasiveness of the applied techniques. Papers published between 2005 and 2023 were searched in PubMed, Web of Science, and Science Direct, resulting in 322 articles. Publications grew at an annual rate of 23%, with 84% of studies conducted in the nursery phase. In the database, 87% of intestinal health assessments were combined with growth performance measures. Semi-invasive methods, such as blood collection, were used in 65% of the studies. Non-invasive measures, such as fecal samples, were analyzed in 39% of the studies, whereas urine (7%) and saliva (0.6%) were used in only a small fraction of the studies. Invasive methods, including intestinal tissue collection, were employed in 89% of studies. Among these, 24% did not specify the euthanasia method or number of pigs euthanized. No significant association was found between invasive and non-invasive methods, limiting the ability to establish clear relationships. Future studies should integrate multiple levels of invasiveness to improve the understanding and reduce reliance on invasive techniques. Full article