Swine and the role of nutrition

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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

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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.

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    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

     

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    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.

    EuroTier 2022 – Meet our team in person

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    EuroTier 2022 is approaching quickly. Only 1.5 months to go. Make sure you have the Pancosma booth on your radar and scheduled to visit during the expo in your diary. We will have a booth partnering with ADM and its master brands. That means you get access to holistic animal nutrition solutions , when you come and find us

    @Booth B33 in Hall 20

    EuroTier 2022

    November 15th to 18th November

    Hanover, Germany

    Eurotier 2022

    Why visit us at EuroTier 2022

    The time you take to walk to our booth will definitely be worthwhile, not just to increase your step count.

    We will have members of our team present to give you a warm welcome and answer any of the questions you may have regarding our products and services.

    We want to introduce you to a new category of products – “on farm solutions” we are launching at EuroTier.

    On top of that it will be an opportunity for you to enquire and learn about AquaTrax, which is a new product specifically designed for use in feed for aquaculture.

    Of course we will also be showcasing our more established products like B-Traxim organic trace minerals, SUCRAM sweeteners, PAN-TEK animal feed flavors, Xtract phytogenic bioactives, our organic acid solutions, CitriStim Pichia Guilliermondii yeast and Anco FIT gut agility activators.

    Discover our product categories

    Not sure which products might apply to your needs? Check out our species pages which feature some examples for use cases of the different product categories below.

    Use cases for Pancosma solutions in pigs >

    Use cases for Pancosma solutions in poultry >

    Use cases for Pancosma solutions in cattle >

    Use cases for Pancosma solutions in aquaculture >

    But of course our product experts at the booth will be more than happy to assist you with your specific needs and point you in the right direction.

    This year is a very special year for Pancosma as we are celebrating our 75th anniversary. We would like to thank all of our partners and customers who have been supporting us on our journey.

    Links to related articles

    Pancosma is celebrating its 75th anniversary in 2022

    Multifunctional palatants for automatic milking systems

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    by Mario Roman, published in Feedstuffs Magazine, November 2022

    The milking routine is one of, if not the most, time-consuming activities of a dairy farm. It is a human labor-intensive routine required several times a day in order to meet production targets. The adoption of the automatic milking system (AMS) in high-performing farms enables a more flexible work schedule for farmers and frees time for other duties. In addition, it also leads to improvements on animal welfare and milk production.

    However, the AMS is not a perfect system, and it also presents downsides. The systems also known as ‘milking robots’ commonly face a very simple issue: getting the animal to enter the robot. Using palatants as an incentive strategy can help cows overcome this barrier and therefore increase the number of voluntary visits and milkings.

    Pancosma has leveraged its expertise on palatants to develop a portfolio of additives specifically optimized for use in AMS and offered under the Magnasweet brand.

    Magnasweet concept

     Magnasweet is the fusion between two different types of sensory additives: state of the art flavors and high-intensity sweeteners.  Flavors are used with the objective of attracting the animal toward the robot and sweeteners as a reward to retain the animal in order to get her milked. Furthermore, it has been proven that the sweetener’s active ingredients are responsible for an optimization of glucose absorption process at gut-level, resulting in more glucose available to mammal glands, supporting better milk production. The use of a multifunctional palatant brings synergistic effects to the herd, leading to performance improvements, demonstrated in multiple field trials.

    From concept to specific solution

     On a recent study, a saccharin-based palatant was supplemented to a group of 38 lactating Holstein cows during 56 days in a commercial farm in Louisville, Ohio, United States. Multiparous cows fed the palatant were milked 3.3 times/d compared to 3.2 times/d in CTL group and also had higher milk yields than CTL group (36.83 vs 36.06 kg/head/ d).

    A second study, in this case with a stevia-based palatant, was run in a commercial farm in Spain with 200 cows. Despite suffering from a regional heat wave, the supplementation of the palatant delivered an increase in number of milkings and total visits per day, which emphasizes the importance of palatability in challenging situations.

    Multifunctional palatants have proven to be an efficient tool for milking cows. Magnasweet supplemented feed acts as both an attractant and reward for the animal, leading to increases in number of visits to the robot and number of milking per day, and associated with higher milk yields.

     

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    Adequate mineral supplementation for layers

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    Supporting the layer industry with adequate mineral supplementation

    by Céline Robin, Product Manager Minerals

    With increasing demand for animal proteins, eggs have become a reference product. They are a high quality source of protein, relatively affordable, easy to cook and consume. For these reasons and for sure many more, eggs are one of the fastest growing protein markets in the world.

    In modern production systems, profitability closely relates to an efficient use of natural resources. Through the years, layers have been selected for their ability to lay eggs, ideally one every day. To achieve that, many variables are in play such as physiological status, heat stress, health challenges, and nutrition.

    Suboptimal conditions not only negatively impact bird performance but also increases environmental impacts. Hence the need for precise feed and to supplement birds according to their needs along the laying cycle. Micro nutrition and especially trace minerals are an essential part of this. The use of an optimised trace mineral source could enhance performance and prevent excess mineral output.

    It would be tempting to presume that the increased requirement inherited through years of selection would lead to increasing supplementation levels. However, this strategy is not recommended for several reasons. On the one hand, negative interactions can occur between minerals, and the low bioavailability resulting from those antagonistic relationships advocate to respect required needed levels.

    On the other hand, the ‘less is more’ concept applies in many nutrients, as retention efficacy increases with decreasing availability to prevent deficiencies.

    Many producers in their daily practice utilise cheap, commoditised trace mineral sources, such as sulphates and oxides. Due to their low bioavailability, they are often oversupplied to secure the animal’s requirements. Therefore, the way forward to fulfil nutrient requirements and sustainably support laying hens is to use more bioavailable sources.

    Organic trace minerals based on glycine, with proven chemical structure and quality, have shown to be such a source of highly bioavailable trace minerals. Due to the superior absorption of these so-called ‘glycinates’, it is now possible to reduce the inclusion dose of minerals while still answering animal requirements and enhancing performance.

    It has been shown that layers supplemented with half a dose of glycinate showed significantly better laying performance and fewer broken eggs compared to the corresponding 100% dose of inorganic minerals. Still with a 75% dose reduction, glycinate showed a significant reduced broken egg rate.

    Glycinates offer opportunities in the nutritional strategy but also nutrient management. Due to their high bioavailability, nutrients are better retained, and the final dose can be reduced.

    Consequently, less input also means less output, minimising the environmental footprint of the layer industry.

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    A novel yeast for immune support in shrimp

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    An exploration of how P. guilliermondii in diets impacts shrimp immune physiology and performance.

     

    By Sarah Cooper, François Jégou, Delphine Weissman and Yoav Rosen,

    published in Aqua Culture Asia Pacific October 2022

    Different types of yeasts and their extracts are used as  feed  ingredients  in  aquaculture  because  of their nutritional value and/or bioactive compounds. Saccharomyces cerevisiae is the most commonly used yeast in animal feed applications. Pichia guilliermondii is a novel yeast with unique morphology, structure and consequent activity that has recently shown potential in shrimp with regards to immune support.

    A novel yeast with potential in shrimp feed

    The differences in the morphology and physical characteristics of P. guilliermondii and S. cerevisiae have been assessed in a side-by-side study by Peisker et al. (2017). There are significant differences between them: P. guilliermondii yeast cell is smaller and as a result has a greater surface area to volume ratio. It is also significantly more hydrophobic compared to S. cerevisiae. Additionally, the distribution of glycoproteins in the yeast cell wall varies, suggesting that P. guilliermondii has a different cell wall structure and composition to S. cerevisiae. These particularities may be associated with significant differences in how the two yeast cells behave when used in aquafeeds.

    A call for new shrimp management approaches

    As shrimp lack an adaptive immune system, preventive therapies such as vaccines that are used in more immune- competent species cannot be used to protect shrimp against certain infectious diseases. Concomitantly, with growing concerns surrounding antimicrobial resistance, restrictions on the use of antimicrobials to support health in animals used for food are increasing, including shrimp production.

    Consequently, alternative strategies are being sought to enhance shrimp health and performance in a sustainable way. Such alternative methods include farm management practices, bioremediation, genetics and nutrition including specialty additives.

    Supporting immune physiology and improved performance in shrimp

    The association between the use of P. guilliermondii in the diet of shrimp and beneficial impacts on parameters related to shrimp immune physiology and performance has been explored in a few studies.

    Immune physiology

    An initial study was performed in a research facility in Thailand. It evaluated changes in critical immune parameters in shrimp before and after experimental challenge with Vibrio harveyi when shrimp are supplemented with P. guilliermondii, compared to those without supplementation as shown in Figure 1.

    At the end of the 28-day feeding period, shrimp from both the supplemented and control groups were sampled to measure the concentration of total and granular haemocytes. Following this, shrimp from each group were infected with V. harveyi and then 3 hours later the number of V. harveyi cells remaining in the haemolymph of each group was measured to assess the efficacy of bacterial clearance.

    Whereas the level of total haemocytes remained unchanged between the two groups, the granular haemocyte count was significantly increased in the haemolymph of shrimp fed P. guilliermondii (P<0.05; Figure 1). Haemocytes are invertebrate blood (haemolymph) cells that are involved in critical shrimp immune defence processes such as coagulation and phagocytosis of invading microorganisms. Although total haemocyte count is used as an indicator of overall shrimp health status, granular haemocytes contain the primary humoral defence factors that are released during a pathogen invasion. An elevated proportion of granular haemocytes amongst total haemocytes may therefore indicate primed immune capabilities and consequently a more effective response to pathogen challenges.

    The P. guilliermondii-fed shrimp, having a greater proportion of these granular haemocytes present, were then found to have a significantly lower number of V.harveyi cells remaining in their haemolymph when measured 3hours following the challenge(P<0.05;Figure2).

    Improved survival when challenged

    Two further studies were conducted to examine the potential impact of P. guilliermondii supplementation on performance during two common infectious challenges: white spot syndrome virus (WSSV) and Vibrio parahaemolyticus, the etiological agent of early mortality syndrome or EMS, also known as acute hepatopancreatic necrosis disease (AHPND).

    Both studies took place in a wet laboratory in Peru and were similar in design, having three treatments within each study: the unchallenged control group was fed the basal diet without the supplementation of P. guilliermondii; the other two groups were both challenged, but only one of these groups received P. guilliermondii supplementation. In both studies, the groups of shrimp fed diets supplemented with P. guilliermondii had significantly improved survival compared to the challenged control groups: 84% greater survival in the WSSV challenge (P<0.05; Figure 3), and 76% greater survival in the V. parahaemolyticus challenge (P<0 .05; Figure 4).

    Better growth under unchallenged conditions

    The performance of shrimp fed diets supplemented with P.guilliermondii under conditions without any specific infectious challenge was assessed in two studies in the ADM research facilities in Vietnam. During each trial, eight replicates per treatment group were fed with either a basal control diet or the basal diet plus P. guilliermondii supplementation at 0.1%. The average weight gain of shrimp between the start and end of the study was significantly greater, by 9% and 10% respectively (P< 0.05; Figure 5) for the shrimp receiving the P. guilliermondii supplementation compared to shrimp fed the basal control diet.

    Promoting better outcomes for shrimp production

    The association between the use of the novel yeast P. guilliermondii in shrimp diets and beneficial impacts on physiological and performance parameters has been demonstrated in several studies, across different markets and under different conditions. It may be the specific morphology and unique structure of P. guilliermondii that influence these extraordinary and beneficial outcomes. As such, P. guilliermondii may represent a cost-effective, natural means of reducing the impact of health challenges and improving performance in shrimp production.

    Reference

    Peisker, M., Stensrud, E., Apajalahti, J., Sifri, M. 2017. Morphological Characterization of Pichia guilliermondii and Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast and their Effects on Adherence of Intestinal Pathogens on Piglet and Chicken Epithelium In- vitro. J Anim Res Nutr Vol No 2 Iss No 1:9 doi: 10.21767/2572- 5459.100029

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    Resilience in pigs – New benchmark in pig production

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    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.

     

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    Effect of zinc source on pork quality

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    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.

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    Feed additive in sow diets benefits litter performance

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    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.

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    Using real-time data on heat stress risk in dairy cows

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    Monitoring heat stress risk on dairy farms in real-time has become possible with the development of sensor technologies measuring temperatures and humidity in cow sheds. This is increasingly becoming common practice to alert dairy farmers of when their cows are at risk of experiencing heat stress and then take swift action in favour of cow well-being.

    Applying real-time data on heat stress risk in dairy field trials – a case study

    by Gwendolyn Jones, Product Manager Gut Agility Activators, published in International Dairy Topics, September 2022

    It also presents opportunities to evaluate nutritional strategies more effectively in terms of their capacity to mitigate the negative impact of summer heat on cows in a commercial farm situation. This article describes a case study where those new technologies were applied in a dairy field trial to assess the effect of a nutritional technology on milk production and quality during the summer period.

    Monitoring heat stress risk on farm

    Even low levels of heat stress can negatively impact milk production and reproductive performance in dairy cows and at higher levels it increases the incident rate for mastitis. The question for a long time was how to determine the heat stress risk cows are exposed to on farms early. It is now well known that it is not only a question of temperature but also humidity, which determines the negative impact on dairy cows. As a result, calculating the Temperature Humidity Index (THI), which combines air temperature with relative humidity, has been established as an indicator for heat stress risk.

    New sensor technologies that have only become available in the past couple of years allow farmers to measure temperature and humidity inside sheds, which is then relayed by Wi-Fi as live THI readings to their smartphones or computers. This is helping dairy farmers to correlate milk production and fertility blips with THI data at any given point in time.

    Collective data from research has shown that cow milk production can be affected when daily average THI exceeds 68, whereby mild heat stress has also already been reported at a THI score of 62 in dairy cows on some farms. This depends on the level of milk production in the dairy herd, since high- producing dairy cows are more susceptible to the effects of temperature and humidity in their environment.

    Wireless transmission of real-time data is essential in providing producers with the relevant information that facilitates informed management decisions in relation to reducing the effects of heat stress as the event is occurring.

    Aside from alerting farmers of potential cow discomfort, climate sensors and other precision dairy technologies offer a wide range of data points that can be taken advantage of when running field trials on dairy farms to assess nutritional strategies and feed additives.

    Dairy farm case study

    The effect of THI on milk production parameters was looked at on a dairy farm in Austria with 50 milking cows during the summer period. The breed on this farm was Fleckvieh, with an average milk yield of 34.5kg/day. The cows were fed a TMR based on a mix of grass and maize silage and were supplemented with concentrate feed via the milking robot (DeLaval VMS). THI, and milk production data were collected, after a short adaptation period in June, from July through to mid-October 2020.

    Temperature and humidity were measured in real-time with a climate sensor from Smaxtec animal care GmbH in the cow shed and transmitted wirelessly to a base station to calculate the THI. Milk control samples were taken on a monthly basis to collect data on the following parameters: milk production (kg/d), milk fat (%), milk protein (%) and somatic cell counts (cfu/ml).

    Results

    During the course of the study the mean daily THI (24 hours) ranged from 53-72 (Fig. 1). During the last week of July, the max THI reached up to 82. Maximum daily THI ranged from 64-82 from July to September, which occurred mainly from midday until the evening.

    This means that cows experienced at least some mild level of heat stress most days from July to September and were exposed  to moderate to high levels from mid-July to mid-August at some point during the day.

    Fibure 1  THI measured via climate sensor in the cow shed over the trial period (July-October)

    temperature humidity index - dairy coes

    Results for milk production show that daily milk yield was on average +1.7kg/d higher for cows fed the product Anco FIT in the period from July to October (Fig. 2) but was particularly higher (+3.4kg/d) numerically in July where the maximum THI was recorded to be the highest.

    Milk constituent levels were also maintained numerically at a higher level throughout the period of investigation, resulting in 8% higher milk protein yields and 10% higher milk fat yields and an economic advantage of  0.85/cow/day compared to the control group.

    The number of cows with somatic cell counts indicating healthy udders (<100 x 1,000 cfu/ml) was on average 78% out of all cows from the group fed Anco FIT compared to 60% in the control group throughout the period of investigation (Fig. 3).

    Conclusion

    In conclusion, climate sensors installed in cow sheds can help to facilitate the evaluation of feed additives in cows at risk of experiencing heat stress in the field.

    More accurate interpretations and potential deeper insights into cow adaptation to challenges are expected from real-time THI data that is correlated with fluctuations in daily automatic milk yield recording.

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