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Soybean meal is a protein source with low digestibility in the piglets’ tract due to antinutritional factors, which can decrease performance and induce an immune response. Highly digestible AA sources such as spray-dried plasma (SDP) and fish meal (FM) are included into the diet to increase feed intake and improve animal health. The present study assessed the effects of bioprocessed soybean meal alone or in combination with SDP or FM in a corn and SBM-based diet on growth performance and immune responses in weanling pigs. A total of 239 pigs (21 d of age) from a high health commercial piggery were used. At weaning, equal numbers of barrows and gilts pigs were randomly allotted to 1 of 4 dietary treatments: 1) a control (CON) with a corn, SBM, and whey–based diet containing FM and SDP; 2) the CON with bioprocessed soybean meal replacing FM (BPSBM+SDP); 3) the CON with bioprocessed soybean meal replacing SDP (BPSBM+FM); and 4) the CON with bioprocessed soybean meal replacing both FM and SDP (BPSBM). Experimental diets were fed in Phase I (d 1-7 post-wean) and II (d 8-21) followed by a common Phase III diet (d 22-35). Changes in BW and feed intake were determined accordingly. Pigs were sensitized against ovalbumin (OVA) and Candida albicans (CAA) on d 7 and 21. Assessment of immune response consisted on lymphocyte proliferation in response to mitogens Concanavalin A and phytohemagglutinin (d 14 post-wean), and primary and secondary anti-OVA IgG at d 21 and 28, respectively.
By the end of the experiment, there were no differences in BW among dietary treatment groups despite lower growth rate for the first 7 d after weaning. Secondary anti-OVA IgG was 2-fold lower based on optical density values in pigs fed CON compared with BPSBM+FM and BPSBM; although the difference was not significant. Dietary treatment did not impact lymphocyte proliferation.
The removal of antinutritional factors during processing of the soybean meal helps improve digestive function as little impact was observed on pig performance and may provide immunological benefits. Bioprocessed SBM could be a suitable alternative for FM and/or SDP in nursery pig diets.
Koepke, J. R., R. S. Kaushik, W. R. Gibbons, M. Brown, and C. L. Levesque.2017. Evaluation of a bioprocessed soybean meal on nursery pig performance and immune status. Journal of animal science 95, 11: 5030-5039. https://doi.org/10.2527/jas2017.1679
