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These studies address critical issues of pig production, stressing the importance of nutritional management during key periods of stress such as weaning, vaccination and heat stress in piglets, as well as liquid feed hygiene and liquid feed fermentation profiles in fattening pigs.
Probiotic yeast S. boulardii interacts with intestinal gene expression in weaning piglets
Weaning is a key period of stress in swine production. A study1, presented in partnership with the University of Nottingham, used a transcriptomic approach to better understand piglet response to weaning stress and the effects of the live yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae boulardii CNCM I-1079* at the level of gene expression in the piglet gut.
This powerful genetic approach confirmed that weaning is a period of intense stress for the piglets. The expression of more than 1,000 intestinal genes were affected. In particular, genes involved in the inflammatory response, defense against pathogens and the degradation of host tissues. In contrast, the probiotic yeast S. cerevisiae boulardii CNCM I-1079 was able to reduce the negative impact of weaning, suggesting a protective role on the gut barrier function and immunoregulation. These results offer insights into the modes of action of the probiotic, indicating that it may alleviate the consequences of weaning stress by promoting regulatory immune responses and maintaining gut barrier integrity.
Oxidative stress model in weaned piglets and effective antioxidant strategy
Another study dedicated to weaning was presented by Dr. F. Barbé 2 on June 9, 2016. It described the development and validation of a model of oxidative stress in weaned piglets and evaluated the benefits of extra antioxidant supplementation with vitamin E, organic selenium ALKOSEL®R397* and superoxide dismutase (SOD)-rich melon pulp concentrate MELOFEED®*. The study, conducted in partnership with the French Pork and Pig Institute (IFIP) on 360 starter pigs, indicated that heat stress and double vaccination, used as stress triggers, were associated with different specific biomarkers of increased oxidative stress and inflammatory status. At the same time, both sources of stress were linked to reduced zootechnical performance (average daily gain).
The antioxidant supplementation helped restore antioxidant status and zootechnical performance in this stress model. The study further confirms the interest of appropriate antioxidant strategies during stress periods such as weaning.
Field survey on liquid feed quality
Finally, a field survey3 was conducted by Lallemand Animal Nutrition in Northern Italy in order to characterize the fermentative profile of liquid feeds commonly used in fattening pigs, and the impact of different ingredients on the fermentation. For this survey, 77 liquid feed samples from 65 farms were analyzed. The results suggest that the composition of a liquid diet affects the quality of the feed. As an example, pH is strongly affected by the use of whey. However, this impact of diet composition can be partially managed by the use of lactic acid bacteria Pediococcus acidilactici MA 18/5M* to control the fermentation, ensuring a better hygiene of the feed.
1 Le Bon Melanie, Bravo De Laguna Fernando, Chevaux Eric. Impact of a live yeast strain: Saccharomyces boulardii CNCM I-1079 on intestinal gene expression of piglets at weaning. IPVS2016-729. Poster presentation
2 Barbe Florence, Royer Eric, Chevaux Eric and Guillou David. Effect of antioxidant supplementation and heat stress in a model of double vaccination in weaned piglets. IPVS2016-248. Oral Communication
3 Bazzoli Andrea, Demey Vanessa, Hocke Nicole, Bravo De Laguna Fernando and Chevaux Eric. Field study on fermentative profiles of swine liquid feed in Northern Italy. Poster presentation
Abstracts available here : http://www.ipvs2016.com/bookofabstracts/
June 14, 2016 - Lallemand
