Pichia guilliermondii for physiological support in sows and their offspring

/in , /by

As restrictions increase on the use of antibiotics in animals amid concerns about antimicrobial resistance, there is a growing interest in evolved management practices, including the use of non-drug specialty feed ingredients that may help to support the animal’s immune system, optimise their physiology and ensuing performance.

by Sarah Cooper, Business Development Manager, Pichia Yeast, published in International Pig Topics

One of the feed ingredients of interest are yeasts. Yeast cell walls contain various bioactive components such as b-glucans and mannan oligosaccharides, which have been demonstrated to have beneficial impacts across various species. Several studies have shown that dietary b-glucans interact with intestinal cells effecting modulation of the intestinal immune response.

Mannan oligosaccharides have been demonstrated to bind and limit the colonisation of intestinal pathogens with beneficial consequences related to gastrointestinal health and performance.

P. guilliermondii is a novel yeast with unique morphology, structure and distribution of cell wall components, and consequent activity. The function of P. guilliermondii and associated influence on physiological and performance parameters have been assessed across a variety of animal species.

This body of research has focused on looking at the impact that may be associated with P. guilliermondii on the immune system, pathogen load, gastrointestinal health and performance, especially during stress and pathogenic challenges.

It has been well established that stress of various sources, commonplace in sow production, can seriously impact sow reproduction.  Maternal stress and foetal programming is well researched in human health and is an emerging theme in swine research efforts.

Foetal programming refers to acute or chronic stimuli impacting the foetus in utero, which may establish a permanent response within the foetus that impacts its physiologic function later in life. Therefore, the physiological status or wellness of the sow during gestation may influence her reproductive performance and the health of her piglets.

A series of peer-reviewed studies involving P. guilliermondii fed to sows during gestation and lactation have been performed looking at associated impacts on various parameters in sows and their offspring.

These studies demonstrate that supplementing the gestation and lactation diets of sows and gilts with an inactivated P. guilliermondii-based specialty feed ingredient promotes sow reproductive parameters, the performance of the sow’s offspring post-weaning and delivers profit.

Pichia supplementation

Reproductive performance in sows supplemented with P. guilliermondii during gestation and lactation has been assessed in numerous peer- reviewed studies in both research and commercial facilities, in the Unites States (US) and Europe.

Carry-over effects

A recent peer-reviewed study looked at commercial swine production facility in the US where 1,260 pigs were followed during the nursery, grow-finish phases. They were grouped according whether or not their sow has received 0.1% P. guilliermondii during gestation and lactation. Pigs weaned from sows that had received P. guilliermondii supplementation tended to have greater livability during both the nursery and grow-finish phases (Fig. 2) and finished significantly heavier compared to pigs weaned from sows that did not receive P. guilliermondii.

Consistent impacts

In order to more objectively assess the effects seen when P. guilliermondii is added to the gestation and lactation diets of sows, a meta-analysis was performed. The above-mentioned four peer- reviewed studies plus an additional four studies – a total of 1,446 sows – were included in the analysis of reproductive performance at birth until weaning.

The P. guilliermondii supplementation ranged from 0.1% to 0.2% and did not influence the effect of the product on the outcomes. Overall, P. guilliermondii supplementation in the sows was associated with an increased number of piglets born alive per sow (+3.5%, P<0.01; F).

When considering piglet survival before and after cross-foster, this resulted in more piglets weaned per sow (+5.3%, P<0.001; Fig. 5). In the assessment of the post-weaning phase, pigs weaned from sow supplemented with P. guilliermondii during gestation and lactation tended to have greater livability (Fig. 6) and significantly greater average daily gain (+5.7%, P=0.038;).

Pichia, Performance, Profit

The beneficial impact of P. guilliermondii supplementation in sows during gestation and lactation on litter size and weaned pig output has been demonstrated consistently across several studies and assessed through meta-analysis. The modes of action by which P. guilliermondii may impact sow litter size and weaned pig output are yet to be elucidated. It may be the case that P. guilliermondii, through its proposed modes of action, may promote resilience in the sow to overcome stressors, counteracting the negative effects of stress on reproduction, impacting foetal programming and consequent performance of offspring during lactation and post- weaning.

P. guilliermondii is commercially available as an inactivated specialty feed ingredient. Its inclusion in the gestation and lactation diets of sows and consequent impact on litter size and number of pigs weaned may facilitate improved swine production efficiency and profit.

Greater precision through water application for pigs

/in , /by

Drinking water application for pigs not only provides greater flexibility but also greater precision at the farm level. In combination with the insights gained from real-time data through using emerging Agtech solutions on farm it offers a powerful tool to act swiftly during critical periods of the production cycle of pigs to increase cost-efficiency in pig nutrition and optimize performance.

Why use water application for pigs?

  • Compensating for inadequate feed intakes

Throughout the pig’s life cycle there are periods where feed intakes may not be adequate to meet requirements for nutrients or other support to maintain well-being and stay on target for performance goals. These periods can occur during:

  • weaning,
  • periods of rapid growth or high milk production,
  • vaccination,
  • transport and
  • high ambient temperatures.

The average water consumption is around two times higher than feed intake and pigs keep on drinking when experiencing challenges. As a result, drinking water applications can help to compensate the gap and guarantee adequate support and nutrient supply during challenging periods

  • Increased flexibility on farm

Supplementation of feed additives via drinking water offers the farmer maximum flexibility and the chance to react quickly in times of increased demand for support in pigs. The application can be administered quickly, meaning additional support is available to the animal almost immediately. Whereas it can take much longer to increase supplementation through the feed supply, plus feed intake may not be high enough for optimal support during critical phases.

  • Increased precision in nutritional support for pigs

The use of additives in the water enables full control over their use through the farm manager. Drinking water application offers the right support quickly at the exact time it is needed. The type, dosage, and duration can be adjusted to best meet the requirements of the pigs in real-time. It translates into less wastage and greater cost-efficiency in the use of feed additives at the farm level.

Introducing Nutrio+ for pigs

A solution-based approach designed for application in drinking water systems of pigs. Blended combinations of carefully selected proven ingredients formulated to support gut function and maintain well-being of pigs during critical stages of their production lifecycle.

To ensure that our specific ingredients have the desired action, the pH level of the drinking water needs to be closely monitored. When added, the products acidify the water, our aim is to reach around pH 4.

More information on Nutrio+ >>

Nutrio plus

 

 

 

 

Related articles

Introducing the Pancosma on farm solutions portfolio

Discover Pancosma solutions for pigs

 

Piglet performance through sow investment

/in , , /by

Should good piglet management start at birth? Or is it wiser to prepare for well-performing litters one step earlier? When using certain feed additives in sow nutrition, the latter appears to hold true. There is value to be reaped later on at various stages of the offspring’s life.

Eunice Lee, Asian Pork Magazine

In intensive pork production, a high proportion of pig losses can occur in farrowing and lactation periods. It is a critical period to determine the overall performance of a production pig.

During these critical periods, not only the welfare of the sows should be addressed, but also the nutrients and elements that prepare the sows for body maintenance and the ability to encounter all types of disorders that may occur.

Some nutritionists address that stage as a transition period. Within the transition period, the metabolism of sows’ switches from anabolism to catabolism. During the gestation period, the energy ingested by sows is primarily for body maintenance and partially for foetal production, while during the lactation period, the majority of the energy intake is used for milk production. The requirements of energy, protein and fiber levels, and micronutrients in between the gestation diet and lactation diet have enormous quantitative and qualitative differences. In practice, these can be easily underestimated and overlooked.

The nutritional knowledge and supportive elements for this crucial transition period have started to receive further attention. Feed additives that are designed to support sows physiologically and systemically are also generally accepted and applied during the transition period.

Feed additive: lauric acid and monolaurin

Saturated fatty acids, more commonly known as organic acids, especially short chain fatty acids, are widely applied in piglet diets to support nutrient digestion. Another group of these organic acids are the medium chain fatty acids (MCFAs).

MCFAs are saturated carboxylic acids with a carbon chain length from C6 to C12. They are abundant in coconut oil or palm kernel oil in the form of triglycerides. The antimicrobial activity of MCFAs has been extensively studied. It has been shown that the antimicrobial effect of lauric acid

is quite potent among MCFAs. Its derivative, glycerol monolaurate (GML), which is produced by the esterification of a molecule of glycerol and a molecule of lauric acid, also has strong antimicrobial effect.

The antimicrobial mode of action for lauric acid and GML is mainly through disrupting the homeostasis of the bacterial cell membrane and inducing inhibition of the bacterial growth.

A synergistic effect between lauric acid and GML had been found against Streptococcus pyogenes at different mixture ratios, where the combination exhibits stronger inhibition activities than using the single ingredients. Both lauric acid and GML have been proven to have antiviral properties against different enveloped viruses.

Metabolism and immune modulation

From the mechanism of fat metabolism, MCFAs are shorter chains of carboxylic fatty acids than long chain fatty acids, and they can bypass the micelle formation process and be absorbed directly by the enterocytes and utilized as energy or transferred through portal vein to the liver. MCFAs require no binding protein while entering mitochondrial membrane and more readily undergo oxidation within the mitochondria.

MCFAs have been found to interact with immune or nonimmune cells via G protein coupled receptors (GPCR).

It has been shown that GPR40 is activated by MCFAs, with which lauric acid has a high affinity. GPR40 is highly expressed in monocytes, where it suggests that MCFAs have immune modulation effect. It has also been shown that MCFAs reduce viral replication by acting on MARC- 145 cells where it prevented the attachment of Porcine Respiratory and Reproductive Syndrome virus (PRRSv) or membrane fusion in the cytoplasm. Supplying triglycerides of MCFAs to rats conferred a protective effect on the intestine by increasing the IgA secretion and modulating the inflammatory immune response while challenged with endotoxin.

Field trial result

A field trial was conducted in a commercial sow farm in Germany, with 33 Danbred × Pietrain sows in the control group and 34 sows in the treatment group. A comparative trial was designed especially in the transition period in sows, which was one week before farrowing and the whole lactation period.

The control group was fed with a conventional lactation diet without any feed additive supplementation. The treatment group was fed with a conventional lactation diet with 1.5 kg/tonne feed of a proprietary MCFA (DaaFit G).

Litter weights during farrowing in the MCFA product’s group was numerically higher than the control group. Liveborn piglet weights was 1.8% higher than the control group. The average birth weight in the group with the MCFA product was 70 g more than the control group.

The number of weaned piglets in the MCFA product group was greater than the control group as well as the average weaning weight which was significantly different (p < 0.05), increased by 8.9% over the control group. And the average daily gain was also significantly different (p < 0.05), with 9.7% improvement over the control group. Even though the mortality had no statistical differences, the mortality in the MCFA group was numerically reduced (5.9% vs 7.5% in control group).

Healthier sows and larger piglets

It is hypothesized that the feed additive, lauric acid and GML can support the sows to overcome the critical transition period by different modes of action. Lauric acid and GML can either directly act on the pathogen load through feed or in animals, be utilized by the intestinal enterocytes in a short pathway for energy supply, or act through GPCR at different sites of monocytes for immune modulation.

Through improving the health status of the sows, a larger litter number is achieved, and the piglets have higher birthweights. Furthermore, throughout the lactation period, the vitality of the piglets also stimulates better milk production of sows and provides better availability of nutrients to the piglets that results in better performance during the weaning period.

ADM Launches New Sweetening Feed Solutions for Piglets

/in , , , /by

November 21, 2022, Rolle, Switzerland – ADM (NYSE: ADM), a global leader in human and animal nutrition, today announced the launch of two products under its SUCRAM range, an in-feed sweetening solution for livestock species. Developed by ADM’s global feed additives business, Pancosma, SUCRAM M’I Sweet and SUCRAM Specifeek are sweeteners designed to improve the palatability of feed for young animals – particularly weanling pigs. Palatants and sweeteners are useful nutrition solutions to improve feed intake and enhance efficiencies for producers while also supporting animal health and well-being.

“Significant diversity exists between the sweet taste receptors among different species, impacting the perception of sweetness,” said Fabio Catunda, ADM Global Swine Commercial Director. “What is sweet for one species may not be perceived as sweet in another species due to these inter-species differences. This is critical to understand when developing effective sweetening products such as SUCRAM.”

An ongoing collaboration between ADM’s nutrition experts and molecular physiology and biochemistry scientists at the University of Liverpool is expanding industry knowledge of the function of sweet taste receptors in animals.

Learning opportunity: Learn more about the research findings in our Webinar:

NEW Species-specific approach to sweeteners for animal feed

December 8th 3pm-4pm CET

REGISTER HERE >>

 

These new additions to ADM’s SUCRAM range were specifically developed to activate the swine sweet taste receptors, with a focus on piglets at weaning. In-feed sweeteners have demonstrated to be an effective attractant to encourage feed intake at the weaning stage, as piglets make the transition from liquid to solid feed.

Both SUCRAM M’I Sweet and Specifeek are saccharin-free and, as part of the product development process, were tested in an in-vitro swine sweet taste receptor model. After years of research, these products also may have functional benefits in encouraging feed intake during a stressful period, optimizing nutrient absorption and supporting gut health and maturation to promote ongoing growth and performance in pigs.

SUCRAM products are available across the globe in more than 45 countries. Specifeek and M’I Sweet will initially be launched in Europe.

Related articles

Discover Pancosma sweetener solutions

Combinations of feed additives as alternative to Zinc oxide in piglet diets

References

  1. Sterk A, Schlegel P, Mul AJ, Ubbink-Blanksma M and EMAM. Bruininx, 2008. Effects of sweeteners on individual feed intake characteristics and performance in group-housed weanling pigs. Journal of Animal Science. 86:2990-2997.
  2. Shirazi-Beechey SP, Moran AW, Bravo D and M. Al-Rammahi, 2011. NONRUMINANT NUTRITION SYMPOSIUM: Intestinal glucose sensing and regulation of glucose absorption: Implications for swine nutrition. Journal of Animal Science. 89(6): 1854-1862.
  3. Furness, J.B. et al., 2013. The gut as a sensory organ. Nature Reviews. Gastroenterol. Hepatol. 10(12):729.
  4. 2016, Connor et al, DAE : Glucagon-like peptide 2 and its beneficial effects on gut function and health in production animals
  5. Daly K, Moran AW, Al-Rammahi M, Weatherburn D, Shirazi-Beechey SP, 2021. Non-nutritive sweetener activation of the pig sweet taste receptor T1R2-T1R3 in vitro mirrors sweetener stimulation of the gut-expressed receptor in vivo. Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications. 542: 54-58.

Swine and the role of nutrition

/in , , /by

Swine & The Role of Nutrition along the Animal Production Value Chain

Mondern animal nutrition is extremely technical and precise; the animal’s nutritional requirements are calculated to optimise performance while minimising cost and environmental impact.

by JOËLLE FAUGERON, Product Manager (Palatants), Pancosma, ADM Animal Nutrition, published in Livestock and Feed, November 2022

In swine husbandry, weaning is a crucial phase where the piglets face significant challenges. They have to switch from liquid to solid feed. Yet, their gut is not fully mature and ready for this change. This phase is also crucial for a good start for the animal as a good post-weaning performance will be directly reflected in the final body weight.

To improve production efficiency, feed additives are developed to help animals overcome those challenges (such as weaning) by improving their resistance and overall condition, and thus, their resilience.

Pancosma’s Sucram helps stimulate feed intake

It has been shown that sweet taste is appreciated by most young animals, especially piglets. This is the reason why high-intensity sweeteners such as Sucram are used as an incentive to switch from liquid to solid feed.

Animals are attracted by the sweet taste detected in the mouth and will therefore be more willing to eat solid feed.

The impact of Sucram on feed intake is illustrated in Figure 1. In this independent trial, 384 weaned piglets were divided into two groups of 192 pigs. The piglets that received Sucram-sweetened feed consumed 6% more feed per day and consequently, their body weight gain was 4.7% greater.

In the trial, piglets were blocked by weight class: ‘light’ piglets (with an average weight of 5.1kg) and ‘heavy’ piglets (with an average weight of 6.8kg). Overall, Sucram- treated pigs were positively affected in terms of performance. However, this improvement was even superior for the ‘light’ group.

Lighter weaner piglets are weaker and more affected by stress than heavier ones at the same age. Those piglets will therefore need more time to adapt to the new conditions in post-weaning pens and consume feed consistently. This data indicates that Sucram may contribute to a reduced adaptation period for, especially, the lighter piglets.

SUCRAM supports gut health and maturation

In addition to an appealing sweet taste, the high-intensity sweetener, Sucram, has demonstrated beneficial activity at the gut level. Sucram activates the sweet taste receptors T1R2 and T1R3, which are present not only on the tongue — thus triggering a sweet taste — but also on the surface of enteroendocrine cells in the gut where they induce other effects.

Sucram activates the sweet taste glucose-like peptide-2 (GLP-2) hormone which leads to increased absorption of glucose from the intestinal lumen. This hormone is also notably involved in tissue reparation and increases blood flow to the gut. It fosters gut maturation and integrity and improves digestion and absorption of nutrients.

The clinical gut health effects associated with the use of Sucram in the diet have been demonstrated in another trial: 132 piglets weaned at 26 days of age were allocated to one of two treatments: a basal diet (control) and the basal diet with 150g/t Sucram (Sucram). Feces score was evaluated over a period of 19 days. The pigs receiving Sucram in their diet had significantly increased fecal firmness from day 5 and further increased from day 12 with less soft and no watery feces Several studies have demonstrated the benefits of Sucram on post-weaning performance. Sucram may improve feed intake and have beneficial effects on the gut. This may result in better gut health, reduction of diarrhea and improved performance.

In conclusion, to achieve higher performances and economic benefits, it is recommended to include Sucram in diets for weaned piglets. This is especially, to favor lighter and weaker animals in a group.

Figure 1

Introducing the On-farm solutions portfolio

/in , , , , /by

We are adding a new string to our bow to be able to support the efforts of livestock farmers to preserve high nutritional quality of animal feed mixes on farms and maintain farm animal wellbeing with practical flexible solutions. The on-farm solutions portfolio has been specifically put together with the needs of modern livestock farmers and their challenges faced on farms in mind.

CONTACT OUR EXPERTS



    Stay up to date
    If you would like to subscribe to the Pancosma newsletter, please subscribe here.

    Farm specific nutritional support

    Lars Katborg, Sales Director at Pancosma announces: “We are keen to present our new on farm solutions portfolio, which has been specifically compiled to address key challenges on farm and offer greater flexibility to farmers in the management of the wellbeing and performance of pigs, ruminants and poultry. This also includes a whole new water application range under the Nutrio+ brand.”

    Focus areas for our on-farm solutions

    Increased flexibility and precision through water application – enquire about Nutrio+

    Safeguarding liquid feed from yeast and moulds – enquire about DaaLF

    Protecting animal feed and grains from moulds – enquire about DaaMould

    Palatability of Corn Cob Mix – enquire about DaaSafe CMM

    Functionality of TMR mixes – enquire about DaaTMR

    Intestinal animal welfare – enquire about Carbovet

    Help farm animals adapt to naturally occurring challenges cost-effectively – enquire about Anco FIT

     

    poultry solutions

    Subscribe to our newsletter for regular updates

     

    On-farm solutions portfolio

    Nutrio+ Water applications with unique combinations of ingredients which will support the demands of high performing animals and restriction of antibiotic use. Find out more

    Nutrio plus

    DaaLF

    DaaLF belongs to the product family developed to protect the quality of liquid feed. DaaLF is a blend of organic acids whose combined effects inhibit mould and especially yeast growth in liquid feed. This inhibitory effect safeguards your liquid feed from moulds and yeasts, enabling it to retain the highest possible nutritional value.

    DaaMould

    Adding DaaMould during the feed production process, helps to protect your final feed from mould growth. Plus, DaaMould contains non-volatile organic ingredients, ensuring long-term effectiveness even after heating.

    DaaSafe CCM

    DaaSafe CCM is a product that can help preserve Corn Cob Mix (CCM) and ensure its long-term palatability. CCM contains large amounts of easily digestible starch which is good for piglets but, unfortunately, also for unwanted bacteria. In addition to other risks, bacterial fermentation can give the CCM an unpleasant taste. DaaSafe CCM has been developed to allow essential lactic acid bacteria to grow while reducing the growth of other, harmful bacteria.

    DaaTMR

    DaaTMR is a balanced blend of organic acids and buffered organic acids designed to stop heat formation in the mixer wagon and the feeding rack. It controls the development of yeasts and moulds.

    Carbovet

    One of nature’s purest ingredients made from oak trees. A powerful tool to promote intestinal animal welfare and a unique process guaranteeing thermo structured pores.

    Anco FIT

    The Anco FIT product line is specifically formulated to empower high performing animals to overcome naturally occurring dietary challenges and stressors, enabling farm animals to attain their performance potential.

    Resilience in pigs – New benchmark in pig production

    /in , /by

    Resilience in pigs has been described as the ability of pigs to cope and recover from stressors and is on the cusp of becoming a new benchmark in pig production.

    by Gwendolyn Jones, Product Manager Gut Agility Activators, published in 2020

    Studies have shown that pigs within a commercial grow-finish environment only achieve 70% of their growth potential compared to pigs reared in a less challenging and unrestricted research environment. Researchers have highlighted this 30% gap in pig performance as a key area for improvement using both management and genetic selection to reduce the impact of stressors on pigs reaching their genetic potential under commercial conditions. There are indications that improving the ability of pigs to cope with stressors may be a better way of improving pig performance than selecting only for increased growth potential from pig genetics researchers.

    Why resilience?

    Average daily gain is a function of the pig’s production potential as well as the ability of the animal to cope with stressors and unforeseen challenges. Breeding and management strategies that result in more resilient pigs, will increase the capacity of pigs to reach their genetic potential under commercial conditions and improve production efficiency on farms in a sustainable way. Furthermore, it is expected that resilience research will benefit the health and welfare of pigs and reduce the use of antibiotics or treatments in general on pig farms. An economic value associated with improved resilience in pigs beyond reduction in production losses and health costs is a reduction in labour time and costs, as animals show less problems and become easier to manage.

    The response of a pig to stressors in terms of minimizing the impact of a stressor and quickly recovering from it is defined as resilience. So, the capacity of the body to withstand challenges to its stability is considered as resilience.  There are many different types of stressors a pig can potentially encounter throughout its productive lifetime, which again can impact its performance. Quite often the first noticeable impact of stressors will be a reduction in feed intake in pigs. However, there are also reactions on the cellular and gut level of the pig, such as oxidative stress and inflammation in response to stressors, further reducing the available energy for growth, as those type of stress reactions will increase requirements for maintenance energy.

    Ultimately the pig’s capacity to adapt efficiently will determine the extent of those stress reactions and the impact they will have on growth performance over time.  A meta-analysis study by Pastorelli et al (2012) across 122 published pig trials, studying the impact of selected stressors found under commercial conditions on reduction in average daily growth rate. The researchers also looked at how much of the reduction in growth rate was due to an increase in maintenance energy and how much was related to a reduction in feed intake.  According to this data some stressors, such as respiratory disease, lipopolysaccharides (LPS) and mycotoxins have a greater impact on feed intake than maintenance energy requirement. This might also be expected from heat stress. Whereas when it came to challenges associated with the gastrointestinal tract, a large part of the reduction in average daily gain was due to an increase in maintenance requirements. Other stressors which were not covered by this study are: human handling, vaccination, dust, ammonia or out of feed and water events, which can all also have an impact on performance of pigs to a greater or lesser extent.

    Spotting resilience in pigs

    Single time-point measurements have been said to be of limited value because they do not measure responses to and recovery from stressors. Although there are exceptions, such as productive longevity as it is a single measurement of the accumulated consequence of adaptive capacity and resilience. Otherwise repeated measurements over time have been found to be key to determine resilience in animals. This is where new technologies, such as automated monitoring, sensors and computer vision come into their own greatly facilitating the ability of producers to collect data from repeated individual measurements in pigs on farm. It is also making the recording of individual feed intake in group-housed pigs more accessible, which would otherwise be difficult to do on farms.

    Recently several research groups have taken different approaches to measuring resilience in pigs, some using production data, some behavioural data and others are currently using artificial intelligence to monitor tail posture in pigs. But what they all have in common is, that they are looking at repeated observations to detect the number of fluctuations or deviations from an expected standard over time. Some suggest that the individual day-to-day variation in feed intake could be utilized to quantify resilience to heat stress, whereby pigs with more day-to-day variation in feed intake would indicate that pigs are less resilient.

    Genetic researchers in the US confirmed that fluctuations in feed intake or duration at the feeder over time are indicators for resilience in pigs to a variety of stressors, including disease and can be used as heritable measures of general resilience in pigs. The variance of deviations in daily feed intake and deviations in daily duration at the feeder during the finishing phase were positively genetically correlated to mortality and number of treatments required in pigs. A pig welfare research group from the Netherlands are using the pig’s tail posture and intactness as the main indicator for resilience. The theory behind it being that more resilient pigs are less inclined to start tail biting and this is also related to tail posture – curly versus straight.

    Managing for resilience in pigs

    Geneticists have certainly started to pave the way to breed more resilient pigs by determining phenotypic parameters that are suitable as resilience indicators. Behavioural research is highlighting the opportunity to improve resilience in pigs through management practices, such as enriched housing. In piglets the location of sow feeders during lactation have been shown to matter in the piglet’s ability to adapt to the weaning process.

    Nutritional solutions that help to build the adaptive capacity of the pig to stressors for more energy efficient responses could also play a role in managing resilience. For sure more research is underway to gain a better understanding of how nutrition and other management practices can effectively support pig resilience.

    Closing remarks

    The resilience approach requires us to make a shift in how we evaluate the impact of breeding and management strategies in pigs. While the proposed resilience indicators are not always easy to measure under commercial conditions using conventional practices, the development of new technologies helping farmers to monitor individual animals for precision livestock farming is certainly speeding up progress required to facilitate this.

    This approach also highlights the need for adaptability to future events over optimization and improving efficiency under known conditions for pigs and farms.

     

    Related articles

    Animal Resilience – Economic value in livestock production

    Frequent monitoring reveals poultry resilience indicator

    Effect of zinc source on pork quality

    /in , , /by

    Supplementation with a highly available zinc glycinate can be a good strategy to reduce losses during chilling of the carcass and oxidation of cooked meat, retaining pork quality better over time.

    by Mieke Zoon,  published in Asia Pork, September 2022

    About one third of global meat consumption is pork, only second after chicken. Due to its religious constraints and historic availability, the consumption of pork products varies widely between regions, but both in Asia and Europe it is the most-consumed meat.

    Pork is often consumed in processed forms (minced meat, bacon, sausages, dry-cured or cooked ham and more), that have their origins related to preserving methods. Today, the main differentiation of pork products is made based on taste, origin and production standards. However, pork products still need to be attractive and safe over time for consumers. Due to the variety in final products and changing preferences of the consumer, targeted meat quality can differ and may change over time.

    The impact of several factors influencing meat quality in general and pork quality specifically have been studied in detail: for example, genetics, dietary lipid profile, pre-slaughter and slaughter conditions. Still more research is needed to reduce oxidative stress in meat after slaughter, affecting its ability tobe processed and stored. Examples of characteristics that are influenced by oxidative stress are fat quality and water holding capacity.

    Functions of zinc

    Zinc is an essential nutrient for many physiological processes in the organism, supporting health and good growth and development. Major functions of zinc on a cellular level are catching free radicals and preventing lipid peroxidation as part of the antioxidant system. Therefore, a deficiency of zinc in pigs may affect the pork quality after slaughter and processing.

    Zinc glycinate

    A chemically well-defined range of metal glycinates with scientifically proven results in all major livestock species has already shown to be efficient to support pig production.

    By supplementing throughout the production cycle from gestating sows until slaughter of their progeny, sow fertility improved and piglets with low birth weight were reduced, while growth performance and slaughter characteristics of the pigs from weaning until slaughter improved as well. These results show the benefit from a highly available source of trace minerals throughout the pig production cycle.

    Effect of zinc glycinate on pork quality

    Chilling losses

    More specifically for pork quality, recent data shows that supplementing zinc from zinc-glycinate in the finishing phase of fattening pigs reduced the chilling losses of their carcasses after slaughter.

    Lipid peroxidation

    The meat from pigs supplemented with zinc-glycinate showed less lipid peroxidation after cooking, especially with the lower dose of zinc-glycinate . The lipid stability in cooked pork is essential for the quality and taste of cooked pork products.

    Conclusion

    This data confirms the added value that highly bioavailable trace minerals may have in the total pork production, not only on pig performance and reproduction, but also on final product quality.

    Pork is an important source of animal protein and zinc can be part of a nutritional strategy to improve the quality of pork. Adaptation of pig production is needed to answer to the customer demand for sustainably produced and high-quality products. Supplementation with a highly available zinc source can be a good strategy to reduce losses during chilling of the carcass and oxidation of cooked meat, better retaining pork quality over time.

    Related articles

    How organic Zinc can support the pork production of tomorrow

    Discover Pancosma organic trace minerals

    Feed additive in sow diets benefits litter performance

    /in , , , /by

    Does good piglet management start at birth? Or is it wiser to prepare for well-performing litters one stage earlier? When using certain feed additives in sow nutrition, the latter appears to hold true. There is value to be reaped later on at various stages of the offspring’s life.

    by EUNICE LEE, Technical consultant organic acids, published in Pig Progress

    During intensive pork production, a high proportion of pig losses can occur during farrowing and lactation periods. It is a critical time to determine the overall performance for a production pig. During those periods, not only the welfare of the sows should be addressed, but also the nutrients and elements needed to prepare them for body maintenance and the ability to encounter all the types of disorders that may occur.

    Some nutritionists treat this time as a transition period, as sows’ metabolism switches from anabolism to catabolism. While during the gestation period the energy that sows ingest is mostly for body maintenance and partially for foetal production, during the lactation period, most of the energy intake is used for milk production. The requirement of energy level, protein level, fibre level and micronutrients between the gestation diet and lactation diet have enormous quantitative and qualitative differences. That, in practice, can be easily underestimated and overlooked.

    The nutritional knowledge and supportive elements for that transition period have started to receive further attention. Feed additives that are designed to support sows physiologically and systemically are also generally accepted and applied during the transition period.

    Feed additive: Lauric acid and monolaurin

    Saturated fatty acids, also commonly known as organic acids, are widely applied in piglet diets for their supporting role in nutrient digestion. Another group of these organic acids is the medium chain fatty acids (MCFAs), which are saturated carboxylic acids with a carbon chain length from C6 to C12. They are abundant in coconut oil or palm kernel oil in triglycerides form.

    The antimicrobial activity of MCFAs has been extensively studied. It has been shown that the antimicrobial effect of lauric acid is quite potent among MCFAs. Its derivative, glycerol monolaurate (GML), which is produced by the esterification of a molecule of glycerol and a molecule of lauric acid, also has strong antimicrobial effect.

    The antimicrobial mode of action for lauric acid and GML is mainly through discomposing the homeostasis of the bacterial cell membrane and inducing inhibition of the bacterial growth.

    A synergistic effect between lauric acid and GML had been found against Streptococcus pyogenes at different mixture ratios, where the combination exhibits stronger inhibition activities than using the single ingredients. Both lauric acid and GML have been proven to have antiviral properties against different enveloped viruses.

    Metabolism and immune modulation

    MCFAs are shorter chains of carboxylic fatty acids than long chain fatty acids, and they can bypass the micelle formation and be absorbed directly by the enterocytes and utilised as energy or transferred through the portal vein to the liver. MCFAs require no binding protein while entering the mitochondrial membrane and more readily undergo oxidation within the mitochondria.

    Those MCFAs have been found to interact with immune or non-immune cells via G protein-coupled receptors (GPCR). It has been shown that GPR40 is activated by MCFAs, with which lauric acid has a high affinity. GPR40 is highly expressed in monocytes, where it suggests that MCFAs have immune modulation effect. It has also been shown that MCFAs reduce viral replication by acting on MARC-145 cells where it prevented the attachment of Porcine Respiratory and Reproductive Syndrome virus (PRRSv) or membrane fusion in the cytoplasm. It is shown that supplying triglycerides of MCFAs to rats conferred a protective effect on the intestine by increasing the IgA secretion and modulating the inflammatory immune response while challenged with endotoxin.

    Proof of concept: field trial result

    A field trial was conducted in a commercial sow farm in Germany, with 33 sows in the control group and 34 sows in the treatment group. The breed was Danbred×Pietrain. A comparative trial was designed especially in the transition period in sows, which was one week before farrowing and the whole lactation period. The control group was fed a conventional lactation diet without any feed additive supplementation.

    The treatment group was fed a conventional lactation diet with 1.5 kg of a proprietary MCFA, called DaaFit G, per ton of feed added.

    The piglet performance at farrowing is shown in Table 1. Litter weights during farrowing in the MCFA product’s group were higher than in the control group. Liveborn piglets were 1.8% higher than the control group. The average birth weight in the group with the MCFA product was 70 g more than in the control group. The piglet performance at weaning is shown in Table 2. The number of weaned piglets in the MCFA product group was greater than in the control group as was the aver- age weaning weight, which was significantly different (P < 0.05), 8.9% higher than in the control group. And the average daily gain was also significantly different (P < 0.05), with 9.7% improvement over the control group. Even though there was no statistical difference in mortality, it was less in the MCFA group (5.9% vs 7.5% in the control group).

    Healthier sows and larger piglets

    For the mode of action of lauric acid and GML studied in this feed trial, it is hypothesised that the feed additive, lauric acid and GML can support the sows to overcome the critical transition period by different actions. Lauric acid and GML can either directly act on the pathogenic load through feed or in animals, be utilised by the intestinal enterocytes in a short pathway for energy supply or act through GPCR at different sites of monocytes for immune modulation.

    Through improving the health status of the sows, a larger litter number is achieved and piglets are born at a higher starting weight. Through the lactation period, the vitality of the piglets also stimulates better milk production at the sows, and it certainly provides better availability of nutrients to the piglets and better performance at the weaning stage.

    Related articles

    Pancosma organic acids

    Tail biting in pigs – How to spot early warning signs

    /in , /by

    Tail biting is an unpredictable and costly problem in pig herds. Understanding the early warning signs can help to reduce the associated losses. New precision livestock farming tools can make it easier to continuously monitor for the early warning signs on pig farms.

    by Gwendolyn Jones

    Causes for tail biting in pigs

    The causes behind tail biting are highly complex and multi factorial. The lack of a single clear cause makes the problem hard to control.

    It can be the result of aggressive attacks from other pigs caused by frustration. This can be due to management errors, e.g. overcrowding, ammonia levels, competition for feed or not enough enrichment materials.

    Secondary tail biting involves tissue that has already been damaged e.g. through necrosis and inflammation. The smell of the injured tissue and appearance of blood attracts pigs to start nibbling and biting the affected area. This is how Swine Inflammation and Necrosis Syndrome (SINS) can be associated with it. More recent work suggests that oxidative stress causing inflammation and related death of cells could also play a role in the development of secondary tail biting. If there are too many dead cells, typically occurring at the ear tips and tails of the pigs, again the smell becomes different, thus attracting other pigs.

    Cost of tail biting in pigs

    Tail biting affects the welfare of pigs, but also causes significant economic losses for pig producers. Tail wounds can be a source of infection resulting in morbidity and mortality, with negative impacts on pig growth estimated at €0.59 per pig. On top of that there are labour and veterinary costs to consider, as well as losses due to carcass condemnation at slaughter. It has been proposed that on-farm prevalence is higher than what abattoir data suggests. Tail bite wounds are often treated with antibiotics, so being more in control of tail biting outbreaks can also help to reduce the use of antibiotics on pig farms.

    Early warning signs for tail biting in pigs

    To effectively reduce the negative effects of tail biting, it must be diagnosed at an early stage. Tail biting behaviour is usually not detected until tail lesions are present, which increases the difficulties in stopping outbreaks. The identification of early warning signals helps to reduce the unpredictability of an outbreak.

    Several studies have shown that tail posture can predict tail damage. Pigs observed with their tails between legs were more likely to show bite marks or a tail wound 2-3 days later compared to pigs observed with a curled tail. This was true for weanling pigs and fattening pigs. Others reported that a hanging tail posture at feeding was significantly correlated to wounds on pig tails. Pigs with tail wounds were four times more likely to have hanging tails compared to pigs with undamaged tails.  Findings from additional studies also provided insights of predicting how close a herd is to an outbreak. In this study 15% of pigs in the herd had a hanging tail posture 7 days before an outbreak, which changed to 20-25% one day prior to the outbreak.

    These findings suggest that tail posture can be used as an early warning indicator. Checking tail postures on a regular basis, increases early recognition of tail biting and can prevent further escalation of the problem.

    Precision livestock farming tools to detect early warning signs

    With a shortage in farm staff and an increasing number of pigs kept per farm, individual monitoring of animals becomes more difficult in the field. When stock people on large farms can on average only spend 5 seconds per day per finisher pig inspection, being able to automate the detection of tail posture for continuous monitoring would make a big difference on farm.

    Researchers from SRUC Edinburgh investigated the effectiveness of a 3D machine vision system to automate tail posture detection. 3D cameras and machine vision algorithms were used to automatically measure tail posture in groups of pigs before, during and after tail biting outbreaks.  The findings of the study confirmed that the technology was accurate enough to provide early warning of tail biting on farm. Furthermore, the proportion of low tails increased over time pre-outbreak, was greater in outbreak groups than control groups and was associated with increased tail injury.

    At Wageningen University and Research in the Netherlands, behavioural researchers are currently looking into applying similar technologies and using tail posture as an indicator for resilience in pigs.

    Models assessing the risk for a tail biting outbreak

    A different approach to prevent a tail biting outbreak on pig farms was proposed using a model based on Classification and Regression Tree (CRT) methodologies.  CRT analysis showed five main variables (stocking density, ammonia levels, number of pigs per stockman, type of floor and timeliness in feed supply) as critical predictors. It was suggested to help farmers and veterinarians to manage the predisposing variables for acute tail biting lesions on farm.

    Preventing tail biting related to oxidative stress

    Oxidative stress and related inflammation in the pig is often the result of the pig’s response to stress factors such as weaning, increasing stocking density, high ambient temperatures, but also dietary stressors such as mycotoxins. Generally, the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) increases within body cells and if the pig’s own defense system is overwhelmed it will lead to oxidative stress, which again can lead to an increase in inflammatory responses. Therefore, supporting the pig’s antioxidative capacity by nutritional means, may help to reduce the risk of tail biting which is related to oxidative stress. It would be even more effective, if inflammatory responses could be blocked or inhibited at the same time. Plant extracts with proven capabilities to improve the antioxidative capacity in pigs can form part of a nutritional solution.

    By Gwendolyn Jones, 2021

    Related articles

    A cross-sectional study for predicting tail biting risk in pig farms using classification and regression tree analysis (2017) 

    Automatic early warning of tail biting in pigs: 3D cameras can detect lowered tail posture before an outbreak (2018)

    Tail Posture as an Indicator of Tail Biting in Undocked Finishing Pigs (2019) 

    Resilience in pigs – new benchmark to reach genetic potential