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Cereal germ is the reproductive part of grain kernels that concentrates essential vitamins, important macro- and microelements, essential fatty acids and fatty alcohols. The fermentation with Saccharomyces cerevisiae, glycosides of the germ cells split into benzoquinones. From 1st of January, 2006 pig production in the EU has been challenged by the ban of using antibiotics as growth promoters. Producing pigs without infeed antibiotics requires a combination of different strategies in which fermented wheat germ extract (FWGE) may present promising alternative, due to its immune modulating, antioxidant and growth promoting characteristics. Model experiment was conducted with growing pigs fed diets containing zero or two levels (1 or 2 g/kg) of FWGE. In the first part of the experiment (19 days between 49 and 68 days of age) weight gain and feed conversion were tested. The 2nd part of the experiment (21 days between 68 and 89 days of age) served to measure the effect of FWGE on some compartments of the immune system.
In the first part of the experiment supplementation of the starters’ diet with FWGE yielded 7.8 and 14.2% additional daily weight gain in the 1st and 2nd experimental groups, respectively (P<0.05). Humoral immune response to purified horse globulin (PHG) antigen was unaffected by the treatment. The blastogenic response of lymphocytes to non specific mitogens (PHA, Con-A, PWM), phagocytic activity and phagocytic index as well as the intradermal PHA test was consistently and significantly enhanced by the treatments.
In conclusion, data of the present investigation demonstrated multilateral beneficial effects of FWGE when fed to growing pigs. The 1 kg/tonne feed concentration of FWGE increased significantly the weight gain of experimental pigs over that of the controls. Important in vitro and in vivo compartments of the cellular immunity were also enhanced which might indicate improved disease resistance against facultative pathogenic microorganisms.
P Rafai, Z Papp, L Jakab, T Tuboly, V Jurkovich, E Brydl, L Ózsvári and E. Kósa, 2011. Journal of Animal and Feed Sciences, 20: 36-46.