Effect of feed withdrawal and dietary energy source on muscle glycolytic potential and blood acid-base responses to handling in slaughter-weight pigs
Posted in: Production by admin on August 8, 2011 | No Comments
The effects of dietary energy source and feed withdrawal on muscle glycolytic potential (GP) and blood acid-base responses to handling were investigated in slaughter-weight pigs (initial BW 94.7 kg). Crossbred pigs (n = 96; 48 barrows, 48 gilts) were used in a randomized complete block design with a 4 × 2 × 2 factorial arrangement of treatments: l) diet [control, high fat (10% supplemental fat), lowdigestible carbohydrate (20% total starch), and highfat/ low-digestible carbohydrate (10% supplemental fat and 20% total starch)]; 2) feed withdrawal (0 and 36 h); and 3) sex (barrow and gilt). Diets were fed for 28 d before the feed withdrawal treatment was applied, at the end of which all pigs were individually moved through a 12.20-m-long × 0.91-m-wide passageway for 16 laps (195 m total distance), with the assistance of an electric goad (2 times per lap). Longissimus muscle biopsies were collected at the beginning of the feeding and feed withdrawal periods and immediately after and 4 h after the handling procedure. Venous blood was collected 2 h before and immediately after the handling procedure to measure acid-base responses. At the end of the feeding period, pigs fed the control and high-fat diets were heavier than those on the lowdigestible carbohydrate and the high-fat/low-digestible carbohydrate diets (129.8, 130.9, 114.0, and 122.1 kg, respectively; SEM 1.91). Diet, feed withdrawal, and sex did not affect blood acid-base responses to handling. Muscle GP at the end of the feeding period and 4 h posthandling was least for pigs fed the high-fat diet and similar for the other 3 diet treatments. Pigs subjected to 36 h compared with 0 h of feed withdrawal had less GP immediately after and 4 h after the handling procedure. There was an interaction between diet and feed withdrawal treatments for changes in GP from the start of feed withdrawal to 4 h posthandling. The reduction in GP was greater for fasted than for fed pigs receiving the control and high-fat diets, but was similar for fasted and fed pigs receiving the 2 low-digestible carbohydrate diets. In conclusion, neither dietary energy source nor fasting affected blood acid-base responses to handling; however, fasting-induced changes in LM GP were diet dependent.
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Effects of choice white grease and soybean oil on growth performance, carcass characteristics, and carcass fat quality of growing-finishing pigs
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A total of 144 barrows and gilts (initial BW = 44 kg) were used in an 82-d experiment to evaluate the effects of dietary fat source and duration of feeding fat on growth performance, carcass characteristics, and carcass fat quality. Dietary treatments were a cornsoybean meal control diet with no added fat and a 2 × 4 factorial arrangement of treatments with 5% choice white grease (CWG) or soybean oil (SBO) fed from d 0 to 26, 54, 68, or 82. At the conclusion of the study (d 82), pigs were slaughtered, carcass characteristics were measured, and backfat and jowl fat samples were collected. Fatty acid analysis was performed, and iodine value (IV) was calculated for all backfat and jowl fat samples. Pigs fed SBO tended to have increased ADG compared with pigs fed CWG. For pigs fed SBO, increasing feeding duration increased (quadratic) ADG and G:F. For pigs fed CWG, increasing feeding duration improved (quadratic) G:F. For pigs fed SBO or CWG, increasing feeding duration increased carcass yield (quadratic) and HCW (quadratic). Dietary fat source and feeding duration did not affect backfat depth, loin depth, or lean percentage. As expected, barrows had greater ADG and ADFI and poorer G:F than gilts. Barrows also had greater last-rib and 10th-rib backfat and reduced loin depth and lean percentage compared with gilts. Increasing feeding duration of CWG or SBO increased C18:2n-6, PUFA, PUFA:SFA ratio, and IV in jowl fat and backfat. Pigs fed SBO had greater C18:2n-6, PUFA, PUFA:SFA ratio, and IV but decreased C18:1 cis-9, C16:0, SFA, and MUFA concentrations compared with pigs fed CWG in jowl fat and backfat. Barrows had decreased IV in jowl fat and backfat compared with gilts. In summary, adding SBO or CWG increased the amount of unsaturated fat deposited. Increasing feeding duration of dietary fat increases the amount of unsaturated fatty acids, which leads to softer carcass fat.
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Effects of dietary iodine value product on growth performance and carcass fat quality of finishing pigs
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A total of 120 barrows (initial BW = 47.9 kg; PIC 1050) were used in an 83-d study to determine the effects of dietary iodine value (IV) product (IVP) on growth performance and fat quality. Pigs were blocked by BW and randomly allotted to 1 of 6 treatments with 2 pigs per pen and 10 pens per treatment. Dietary treatments were fed in 3 phases and formulated to 3 IVP concentrations (low, medium, and high) in each phase. Treatments were 1) corn-soybean meal control diet with no added fat (low IVP), 2) corn-extruded expelled soybean meal (EESM) diet with no added fat (medium IVP), 3) corn-soybean meal diet with 15% distillers dried grains with solubles and choice white grease (DDGS + CWG; medium IVP), 4) corn-soybean meal diet with low CWG (medium IVP), 5) corn-EESM diet with 15% DDGS (high IVP), and 6) corn-soybean meal diet with high CWG (high IVP) On d 83, pigs were slaughtered and backfat and jowl fat samples were collected and analyzed. The calculated and analyzed dietary IVP values were highly correlated (r2 = 0.86). Pigs fed the control diet, EESM, or high CWG had greater ADG than pigs fed EESM + DDGS. Pigs fed the control diet had greater ADFI than pigs fed all other diets. Pigs fed EESM + DDGS and high CWG had improved G:F compared with pigs fed the control diet or DDGS + CWG. Pigs fed diets with DDGS had greater backfat and jowl fat IV, C18:2n-6, and PUFA and less SFA than pigs fed all other treatments. Pigs fed EESM had greater backfat and jowl fat IV, C18:2n-6, and PUFA than pigs fed the control diet, low CWG, or high CWG. Pigs fed low CWG or high CWG had greater jowl fat IV than control pigs. Feeding ingredients high in unsaturated fatty acids, such as DDGS and EESM, had a greater impact on fat IV than CWG, even when diet IVP was similar. Therefore, IVP was a poor predictor of carcass fat IV in pigs fed diets with different fat sources and amounts of unsaturated fats formulated with similar IVP. Dietary C18:2n-6 content was a better predictor of carcass fat IV than diet IVP.
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Effect of vaccination of boars against porcine circovirus type 2 on ejaculate characteristics, serum antibody titers, viremia, and semen virus shedding
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The objective of this research was to determine the effect of vaccination against porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) on ejaculate characteristics, PCV2-specific antibody titers in serum, viremia, and viral shedding in the semen of PCV2-positive boars. Before vaccination, all boars were confirmed by PCR to be naturally infected with PCV2. The boars were vaccinated with a commercial killed vaccine against PCV2 (n = 5) or served as controls and received 2 mL of 0.9% saline (n = 5). Semen and blood samples were collected before vaccination at wk 0 and at 7-d intervals thereafter until wk 8. Sperm concentration and characteristics of sperm motility were assessed using a computer assisted sperm analysis system, and sperm morphology was evaluated using light microscopy after staining. The PCV2 antibody titers were determined in serum using an ELISA, and the genomic copy numbers of PCV2 DNA in serum and semen were determined by real-time PCR. In general, there were no effects of treatment or treatment × week on semen or sperm characteristics. An effect of treatment × week was detected for serum antibody titers. Compared with controls, PCV2 antibody titers in vaccinated boars were less at wk 7 (1.01 titer/mL vs. 1.23 titer/mL) and tended to be less at wk 8 (1.05 titer/mL vs. 1.17 titer/mL). There were no effects of treatment or treatment × week for serum and semen genomic copy numbers of PCV2 DNA. There was a tendency for an effect of week on serum viral load. It was evident that during this experiment, boars experienced reoccurring PCV2 infection, and the detection of an increased PCV2 DNA load in serum preceded that in semen; the duration of reoccurring infection appeared to be less in vaccinated boars compared with controls. In summary, vaccination against PCV2 can reduce antibody titers when given postinfection and has no dramatic effect on indicators of semen quality. Vaccination against PCV2 in naturally infected boars can also decrease the length of reoccurring infection and decrease the duration of viral shedding in semen.
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Effects of mannanase and distillers dried grain with solubles on growth performance, nutrient digestibility, and carcass characteristics of grower-finisher pigs
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Four experiments were conducted to determine the effects of dietary supplementation of corn distillers dried grain with solubles (DDGS) diets with mannanase on performance, apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD) of energy and nutrients, blood metabolites, and carcass characteristics of grower-finisher pigs. In Exp. 1, 96 grower pigs (initial BW, 57.6 kg), 6 pigs per pen and 4 pens per treatment, were fed corn-soybean meal-based diets containing 10% DDGS and 0, 200, 400, or 600 units (U) of mannanase/kg. The ADG and blood glucose increased (linear) with increasing concentrations of dietary mannanase. Pigs fed diets containing increasing levels of mannanase had improved ATTD of DM and CP (quadratic). In Exp. 2, 64 finisher pigs (initial BW, 92.7 kg) were allotted to 4 treatment groups with 4 pigs per pen and 4 pens per treatment. Pigs were fed corn-soybean meal-based diets containing 15% DDGS and 0, 200, 400, or 600 U of mannanase/kg. Linear increases in ADG, blood glucose, and ATTD of DM, GE, and CP were observed with increasing levels of dietary mannanase supplementation. In Exp. 3, 208 grower pigs (initial BW, 60.5 kg) were allotted to 4 treatment groups with 13 pigs per pen and 4 pens per treatment. Pigs were fed diets containing 0 or 10% DDGS and 0 or 400 U of mannanase/kg in a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement. An increase in ADG and blood glucose for pigs fed diets containing mannanase was observed. The ATTD of DM and CP was decreased with the inclusion of DDGS, whereas pigs fed the mannanase-supplemented diets had an increased ATTD of CP. In Exp. 4, 208 finisher pigs (initial BW, 86.5 kg), with 13 pigs per pen and 4 pens per treatment, were fed diets containing 0 or 15% DDGS and 0 or 400 U of mannanase/kg in a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement. The ADG and blood glucose increased when mannanase was included in the diets. The ATTD of DM, GE, and CP increased by the supplementation with mannanase in the diets of finisher pigs. The carcass characteristics and meat quality were not affected by the DDGS or mannanase inclusion. These results indicated that including 10 and 15% DDGS in conventional swine grower and finisher diets had no detrimental effects on growth performance or carcass characteristics. In addition, supplementation with 400 U of mannanase/kg to diets containing 10 and 15% DDGS fed to grower and finisher pigs may improve growth performance and the ATTD of CP.
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Effect of microclimate on particulate matter, airborne bacteria, and odorous compounds in swine nursery houses
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Nursery pigs are vulnerable to environmental risks associated with the microclimate and aerial contaminants. This study was carried out to assess the effect of microclimate (i.e., temperature, relative humidity, and air speed) on the quantity of particulate matter (PM), airborne bacteria, and odorants in nursery houses. Data were collected from 15 farms in different locations throughout South Korea during 4 seasons; daily sampling times were from 1000 to 1100 h in the morning. A nonparametric correlation analysis revealed correlations between microclimate variables and airborne contaminants in different seasons. Over the entire year, negative correlations were observed between temperature, air speed, and some odorous compounds. Furthermore, negative correlations were observed between temperature, air speed, and relatively large airborne particulates, such as PM10 (PM mean aerodynamic diameter ≤10 μm), PM7 (PM mean aerodynamic diameter ≤7 μm), and total suspended particles. A possible reason for these negative correlations is that increased ventilation at an increased room temperature could transfer most airborne particulates that are carried with odorous compounds out of the nursery houses. On the other hand, because of the sensitivity of coliform bacteria to temperature, positive correlations were observed between temperature and total coliform and Escherichia coli counts. Because it is a challenging task to control the quantity of aerial contaminants in nursery houses, the relationships between the microclimate and airborne contaminants established in this study could be used to reduce those contaminants by controlling microclimate variables. The correlations established in the current study could also be helpful in establishing guidelines for good management practices in nursery houses.
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Amino acid and fiber digestibility, intestinal bacterial profile, and enzyme activity in growing pigs fed dried distillers grains with solubles-based diets
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The aim of this study was to determine ileal AA and fiber digestibility in new-generation dried distillers grains with solubles (DDGS) derived from wheat (wDDGS), a wheat-corn blend [wcDDGS, wheat and corn were fermented in a 7:3 wt/wt ratio], or corn (cDDGS) and to determine the effects of diets containing DDGS on gut bacteria and bacterial and digestive enzyme activities. Experimental diets contained one of the DDGS samples as the sole source of protein, and a low protein diet (5% casein) was included to estimate basal endogenous ileal CP and AA losses. Chromic oxide (0.3%) was added as an indigestible marker to all diets. Twelve cannulated barrows with an initial BW of 20.2kg were allotted to the 4 experimental diets in a 2-period crossover design, which provided 6 observations per diet. Pigs were acclimatized to their diets for 5 d followed by a continuous 12-h digesta collection on d 6 and 7. Diet had no effect on the apparent ileal digestibility (AID) of CP. The wDDGS diet generally had decreased AID of AA compared with the wcDDGS or cDDGS diet. Similarly, the values for standardized ileal digestibility of CP and most AA were smaller for the wDDGS diet compared with the other 2 DDGS diets. The Lys and Thr were the least digestible AA among the indispensable AA across the 3 DDGS samples. The digestibilities of nonstarch polysaccharides and NDF were not affected by diet; however, the ileal digesta viscosity was greater for the wcDDGS diet than the wDDGS and cDDGS diets. The counts of Lactobacillusand Enterobacteriaceae were greater for the cDDGS diet compared with the other 2 diets. Accordingly, the cDDGS diet elicited a greater lactic acid concentration in digesta than the wDDGS diet. The activities of bacterial and digestive enzymes did not differ among the diets. The results indicate that the wDDGS had generally less protein and AA ileal digestibilities compared with the wcDDGS and cDDGS samples and that nonstarch polysaccharides and NDF digestibilities were similar among diets. Although diet influenced digesta bacterial counts, no effects were observed on the activities of bacterial and digestive enzymes.
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Visfatin regulates genes related to lipid metabolism in porcine adipocytes
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Visfatin is a visceral adipose tissuespecific adipocytokine that plays a positive role in attenuating insulin resistance by binding to the insulin receptor. Visfatin has been suggested to play a role in the regulation of lipid metabolism and inflammation; however, the mechanism remains unclear. We investigated the effects of visfatin on the regulation of gene expression in cultured porcine preadipocytes and differentiated adipocytes. In preadipocytes, the mRNA abundance of lipoprotein lipase and PPARγ were significantly increased by visfatin or insulin treatment after 8 d. In the presence of insulin, the mRNA abundance of adipocyte fatty acid-binding protein was 24.7-fold greater than in the untreated group, whereas visfatin alone had no effect on adipocyte fatty acid-binding protein mRNA abundance. Adipocyte differentiation was induced by insulin treatment for 8 d. In differentiated porcine adipocytes, exposure to insulin or visfatin for 24 h increased fatty acid synthase mRNA abundance but had no effect on the expression of sterol regulatory element binding-protein 1c mRNA. We also found a 5.8-fold upregulation of IL-6 expression in porcine adipocytes after 24 h of treatment with visfatin. These results demonstrated that visfatin upregulated lipoprotein lipase expression in preadipocytes, potentially facilitating lipid uptake, and increased the gene expression of fatty acid synthase in differentiated adipocytes to potentially enhance lipogenic activity. Furthermore, visfatin can upregulate IL-6 expression in differentiated porcine adipocytes. The information presented in this study provides insights into the roles of visfatin in lipid metabolism in pigs.
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Effects of feeding diets containing increasing content of corn distillers dried grains with solubles to grower-finisher pigs on growth performance, carcass composition, and pork fat quality
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Crossbred pigs (n = 512) with an average initial BW of 22.1kg were used to evaluate growth performance, carcass characteristics, and pork fat quality of grower-finisher pigs fed corn-soybean meal diets containing increasing content of distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS). One of 4 dietary treatments was randomly assigned to each pen within sex. Dietary treatment and sex were the main factors in a 3-phase feeding program (BW = 22 to 53 kg, 53 to 85 kg, and 85 to 115 kg). Dietary treatments consisted of a corn-soybean meal control, or a corn-soybean meal diet containing 10, 20, or 30% DDGS. Overall, increasing the dietary DDGS content had no effect on ADG, but ADFI was linearly reduced and G:F was linearly increased. Dressing percentage, LM marbling and firmness, and belly firmness were linearly reduced, but percentage of fat-free lean was linearly increased with increasing dietary DDGS. Subjective LM color score, drip loss, and ultimate pH of LM were not influenced by dietary DDGS. Japanese color scores for backfat and belly fat were similar among dietary treatments. Feeding an increasing content of DDGS linearly increased PUFA concentration, particularly linoleic acid (C18:2), in belly fat, backfat, and LM intramuscular fat, but the increase in LM intramuscular fat was smaller in magnitude than in backfat and belly fat. Pigs fed an increasing content of DDGS had a linear increase in the iodine value of backfat, belly fat, and LM intramuscular fat of 58.4 to 72.4, 61.5 to 72.3, and 54.8 to 57.7, respectively. Oxidation of LM intramuscular fat measured on d 0, 14, 21, and 28 of storage was not affected by dietary treatment. Taste tests for LM showed no effects of diet on flavor, off-flavor, tenderness, juiciness, and overall acceptability scores. Similarly, bacon flavor, off-flavor, crispiness, and overall liking scores were not affected by increasing dietary DDGS, but bacon fattiness and tenderness scores were linearly reduced. These results showed no negative effects on growth performance or dressing percentage when growing-finishing pigs were fed diets containing up to 30% DDGS, but fat quality may not meet the standards of all pork processors when feeding diets containing more than 20% DDGS.
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Differential composition of proteomes in sow colostrum and milk from anterior and posterior mammary glands
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Piglets obtaining milk from anterior and middle mammary glands (MG) grow faster than those suckling posterior MG, but the underlying mechanisms are not clear. The purpose of this study was to investigate the differential proteomes of colostrum and milk secreted by anterior and posterior MG. Six healthy primiparous sows with 7 pairs of MG were used; the first and the second pairs were defined as anterior MG and the sixth and seventh pairs as posterior MG. Colostrum and milk were collected at d 1 and 14 after parturition, respectively. Comparative proteomics analysis was performed to identify the differentially expressed proteins in colostrum and milk secreted by anterior and posterior MG. Results show that protein composition in colostrum and milk varied markedly with the anatomical location of MG. Immunoglobulins, lactadherin, and haptoglobin were upregulated in colostrum from anterior MG compared with posterior MG. Concentrations of immunoglobulins and lactoferrin in milk from anterior MG were greater than milk from posterior MG. Moreover, concentration of proteins from somatic cells was greater in milk from posterior MG compared with anterior MG. Most proteins, in which abundance was upregulated in colostrum and milk from anterior MG, contribute to passive immunity, intestinal development of suckling piglets and epithelial integrity, and the health of MG. Collectively, these results indicate that in comparison with posterior MG, anterior MG are more active in protein synthesis and produce more immunoglobulins and lactoferrin in colostrum and milk.
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