SEARCH
Industry Partners
Prairie Swine Centre is an affiliate of the University of Saskatchewan
Prairie Swine Centre is grateful for the assistance of the George Morris Centre in developing the economics portion of Pork Insight.
Financial support for the Enterprise Model Project and Pork Insight has been provided by:
Effects of gestation and transition diets, piglet birth weight, and fasting time on depletion of glycogen pools in liver and 3 muscles of newborn piglets
Posted in: Energy, Production by admin on August 4, 2011 | No Comments
The experiment was conducted to assess the effects of maternal nutrition in late gestation on glycogen pools of newborn piglets of different birth weights and to assess how rapidly the glycogen pools in the liver and 3 muscles are mobilized during fasting. Until d 108 of gestation, 48 sows were fed a gestation standard diet (GSD) with low dietary fiber (DF, 17.1%), or 1 of 3 diets with high DF (32.3 to 40.4%) consisting of pectin residue (GPR), potato pulp (GPP), or sugar-beet pulp (GSP). From d 108 until farrowing, sows were fed 1 of 6 transition diets with low or high dietary fat: one group received a standard diet (TSD; control) containing 3% animal fat, another group received the TSD diet + 2.5 g/d of hydroxy-methyl butyrate as topdressing (THB), and 4 other groups received diets with 8% added fat from coconut oil (TCO), sunflower oil (TSO), fish oil (TFO), or 4% octanoic acid + 4% fish oil (TOA). Two piglets per litter (the second and fifth born) were blood sampled, and 1 was killed immediately after birth, whereas the other, depending on the litter, was killed after 12, 24, or 28.5 to 36 h (mean 32.5 h) of fasting. Samples of liver, LM, M. semimembranousus (SM), and M. diaphragm (DP) were collected and analyzed for glycogen concentration. No dietary effects on glycogen concentrations in liver, LM, SM, or DP were observed. The weight of the liver was affected by gestation diet and was greater in GSD and GSP piglets (36.7 and 36.3 g) than in GPR piglets (32.6 g), and intermediate (33.6 g) in GPP piglets. Liver weight, estimated muscle mass, and glycogen pools were affected by birth weight, whereas glycogen concentrations in liver and LM, SM, and DP muscles were not. Liver weight; glycogen concentrations in liver, LM, SM, and DP; and glycogen pools in liver and muscles decreased with increasing duration of fasting, and at 32.5 h of fasting, glycogen concentration was reduced by 80% in liver, 64% in DP, 46% in SM, and 36% in LM. Based on a broken-line model, labile glycogen in SM, a locomotory muscle, was estimated to be depleted after 16.4 h of fasting. In conclusion, piglet size had a major impact on estimated glycogen pools, whereas sow nutrition in late gestation had a minor impact, if any. Furthermore, varying proportions of pools of glycogen present in liver and selected muscles were mobilized, and data indicate that newborn piglets are fatally depleted of energy after 16 h of fasting.
For more information the full article can be found at http://jas.fass.org/
Effect of salmon protein hydrolysate and spray-dried plasma protein on growth performance of weanling pigs
Posted in: Production by admin on | No Comments
Two experiments, each consisting of 2 trials, were conducted to determine the effect of salmon protein hydrolysate (SPH) and spray-dried plasma protein (SDPP) fed during the first week postweaning and their subsequent effect on the growth performance of weanling pigs. Pigs were fed in a 3-phase feeding program with durations of 7 d for phase 1 in both Exp. 1 and 2; 14 or 15 d for phase 2 in Exp. 1 and 2, respectively; and 7 or 8 d for phase 3 in Exp. 1 and 2, respectively. Dietary treatments were fed only during phase 1, whereas the same diet was fed to all pigs in phases 2 and 3. Pigs were blocked by initial BW and sex, and littermates were balanced across treatments. Data from the 2 trials within each experiment were combined and analyzed together; no treatment × trial interactions were observed. In Exp. 1, a total of 324 weanling pigs (10 replications of 5 or 6 pigs per pen) with an average initial BW of 6.4kg were assigned to 1) a control diet with no SPH or SDPP, 2) 1.5% SPH, 3) 3.0% SPH, 4) 1.5% SDPP, 5) 3.0% SDPP, or 6) 1.5% SPH + 1.5% SDPP. Experiment 2 was similar to Exp. 1, but red blood cells were removed from all diets to reduce diet complexity. In Exp. 2, weanling pigs (n = 320, 14 replications of 5 or 6 pigs per pen) with an average initial BW of 5.4kg were assigned to 1) a control diet with no SPH or SDPP, 2) 1.5% SPH, 3) 1.5% SDPP, or 4) 1.5% SPH + 1.5% SDPP. Three batches of SPH were used, and each batch was analyzed for AA composition. In Exp. 1, the inclusion of SDPP or SPH during phase 1 did not affect ADG, ADFI, or G:F compared with those of pigs fed the control diet. No carryover effects on growth performance were observed in any of the subsequent phases. Overall, G:F was greater in pigs fed the 1.5% diets compared with those fed the 3.0% diets. In Exp. 2, no differences were observed in ADG, ADFI, or G:F among pigs fed the SPH or SDPP diets compared with those of pigs fed the control diet. Pigs fed the combined diet had greater overall ADFI compared with that of pigs fed the control diet, but ADFI was similar to that of pigs fed the SPH and SDPP diets. These results indicate that inclusion of up to 3% SDPP or SPH in diets fed during the first week postweaning did not affect the growth performance of weanling pigs, and no subsequent carryover effects were observed. Salmon protein hydrolysate did not affect the growth performance of weanling pigs and may be considered an alternative protein source in diets for weanling pigs.
For more information the full article can be found at http://jas.fass.org/
Extent of linkage disequilibrium and effective population size in Finnish Landrace and Finnish Yorkshire pig breeds
Posted in: Production by admin on | No Comments
The extent of linkage disequilibrium (LD) and effective population size in Finnish Landrace and Finnish Yorkshire pig populations were studied using a whole genome SNP panel (Illumina PorcineSNP60 BeadChip) and pedigree data. Genotypic data included 86 Finnish Landrace and 32 Finnish Yorkshire boars. Pedigree data included 608,138 Finnish Landrace 554,237 and Finnish Yorkshire pigs, and on average 15 ancestral generations were known for the reference animals, born in 2005 to 2009. The breeding animals of the 2 populations have been kept separate in the breeding programs. Based on the pedigree data, the current effective population size for Finnish Landrace is 91 and for Finnish Yorkshire 61. Linkage disequilibrium measures (D′ and r2) were estimated for over 1.5 million pairs of SNP. Average r2 for SNP 30 kb apart was 0.47 and 0.49 and for SNP 5 Mb apart 0.09 and 0.12 for Finnish Landrace and Finnish Yorkshire, respectively. Average LD (r2) between adjacent SNP in the Illumina PorcineSNP60 BeadChip was 0.43 (57% of the adjacent SNP pairs had r2 > 0.2) for Finnish Landrace and 0.46 (60% of the adjacent SNP pairs had r2 > 0.2) for Finnish Yorkshire, and average r2 > 0.2 extended to 1.0 and 1.5 Mb for Finnish Landrace and Finnish Yorkshire, respectively. Effective population size estimates based on the decay of r2 with distance were similar to those based on the pedigree data: 80 and 55 for Finnish Landrace and Finnish Yorkshire, respectively. Thus, the results indicate that the effective population size of Finnish Yorkshire is smaller than of Finnish Landrace and has a clear effect on the extent of LD. The current effective population size of both breeds is above the recommended minimum of 50 but may get smaller than that in the near future, if no action is taken to balance the inbreeding rate and selection response. Because a moderate level of LD extends over a long distance, selection based on whole genome SNP markers (genomic selection) is expected to be efficient for both breeds.
For more information the full article can be found at http://jas.fass.org/
Farm factors associated with the use of antibiotics in pig production
Posted in: Production, Welfare by admin on | No Comments
The aim of this study was to investigate farm-level economic and technical factors that are associated with the use of antibiotics on pig farms. Identification of such factors, like farm size and net farm result, may help to increase epidemiological knowledge and to specify farm advice and policy making to reduce inappropriate use of antibiotics. The study used over 300 farm-year records collected during 2004 to 2007 from pig farms in the Netherlands. Data included economic and technical factors as well as antibiotic administration. Data were statistically analyzed for factors associated with antibiotic use, both for fattening pig and sow farms (piglets only), separately. The response variable was the average number of daily dosages per average pig year. Statistical analysis was performed on 16 and 19 potential explanatory factors for the fattening pig and sow farms, respectively. The results showed that, both on the fattening pig and sow farms, the average use of antibiotics increased from 2004 to 2006, but decreased during 2007, but the effect of year was not significant. Use of antibiotics varied between individual farms. Large farm repeatability for the use of antibiotics in the different years was found. Factors associated with the use of antibiotics included: farm system, number of pigs, and population density in the region of the farm (for sow farms only). As these factors are easy to collect and to register, they can be used to specify farm advice and investigation, as well as for policy making. The majority of the technical and economic factors were not significantly related to the on-farm use of antibiotics. Therefore, it is recommended to focus future research on the potential role of socioeconomic factors associated with antibiotic use on pig farms.
For more information the full article can be found at http://jas.fass.org/
Cardiovascular performance of adult breeding sows fails to obey allometric scaling laws
Posted in: Production, Welfare by admin on | No Comments
In view of the remarkable decrease of the relative heart weight (HW) and the relative blood volume in growing pigs, we investigated whether HW, cardiac output (CO), and stroke volume (SV) of modern growing pigs are proportional to BW, as predicted by allometric scaling laws: HW (or CO or SV) = a∙BWb, in which a and b are constants, and constant b is a multiple of 0.25 (quarter-power scaling law). Specifically, we tested the hypothesis that both HW and CO scale with BW to the power of 0.75 (HW or CO = a∙BW0.75) and SV scales with BW to the power of 1.00 (SV = a∙BW1.0). For this purpose, 2 groups of pigs (group 1, consisting of 157 pigs of 50 kg; group 2, consisting of 45 pigs of 268 kg) were surgically instrumented with a flow probe or a thermodilution dilution catheter, under open-chest anesthetized conditions to measure CO and SV, after which HW was determined. The 95% confidence intervals of power-coefficient b for HW were 0.74 to 0.80, encompassing the predicted value of 0.75, suggesting that HW increased proportionally with BW, as predicted by the allometric scaling laws. In contrast, the 95% confidence intervals of power-coefficient b for CO and SV as measured with flow probes were 0.40 to 0.56 and 0.39 to 0.61, respectively, and values obtained with the thermodilution technique were 0.34 to 0.53 and 0.40 to 0.62, respectively. Thus, the 95% confidence limits failed to encompass the predicted values of b for CO and SV of 0.75 and 1.0, respectively. In conclusion, although adult breeding sows display normal heart growth, cardiac performance appears to be disproportionately low for BW. This raises concern regarding the health status of adult breeding sows.
For more information the full article can be found at http://jas.fass.org/
The effect of different postweaning altrenogest treatments of primiparous sows on follicular development, pregnancy rates, and litter sizes
Posted in: Production by admin on | No Comments
This study investigated follicular development during and after postweaning altrenogest treatment of primiparous sows in relation to subsequent reproductive performance. Primiparous sows (n = 259) were randomly assigned at weaning (d 0) to 1 of 4 groups: control (no altrenogest, n = 71), RU4 (20 mg of altrenogest from d −1 to 2, n = 62), RU8 (20 mg of altrenogest from d −1 to 6, n = 65), or RU15 (20 mg of altrenogest from d −1 to 13, n = 61). Average follicular size (measured by ultrasound) increased during altrenogest treatment and resulted in larger follicles at the start of the follicular phase for RU4, RU8, and RU15 compared with controls (5.3, 5.5, 5.1, and 3.4 mm, respectively). Farrowing rate was greater in RU15 (95%) than in RU8 (76%). The RU15 group also had more piglets (2 to 3 more piglets total born and born alive; than the other treatment groups. Follicular development at weaning clearly affected reproductive performance. At weaning, average follicular size: small (<3.5 mm), medium (3.5 to 4.5 mm), or large (≥4.5 mm), was associated with farrowing rates of 86, 78, and 48%, respectively. Sows with large follicles at weaning had low farrowing rates (71%) in RU4, very low farrowing rates (22%) in RU8, but normal farrowing rates in RU15 (83%). In conclusion, this study showed that 15 d of postweaning altrenogest treatment of primiparous sows may allow follicle turnover in sows that had large follicles at weaning and that this was associated with an improved reproductive performance. It also showed that shorter treatment with altrenogest (4 or 8 d) is beneficial for sows with small follicles at weaning, but is not recommendable for sows with large follicles at weaning.
For more information the full article can be found at http://jas.fass.org/
Head-only followed by cardiac arrest electrical stunning is an effective alternative to head-only electrical stunning in pigs
Posted in: Meat Quality, Production, Welfare by admin on | No Comments
Many small slaughter facilities use head-only electrical stunning to render swine unconscious and insensible to pain before slaughter. Head only electrical stunning is a reversible procedure that is optimally effective for approximately 15 s after stun completion. In many small North American slaughter plants, the authors have observed hoist speeds that are too slow to achieve a short enough stun-to-bleed interval to maintain insensibility through exsanguination. Unlike many European plants, there is no separate high speed hoist for pigs and exsanguination on the floor is not condoned. As a result, a 2-stage stunning method was proposed where head-only stunning for 3 s was immediately followed by application of the same stunning wand to the cardiac region of the animal for 3 s while lying in lateral recumbancy. A paired-comparison study was conducted on 89 pigs in a small slaughter facility to compare the head-only method applied for 6 s with the head/heart method. The objective was to evaluate signs of return to sensibility, stun-to-bleed time, blood lactate concentration, muscle pH, drip loss, and fresh meat color to validate the head/heart electrical stunning method for small slaughter plants. Incidence of corneal reflex was not different between head/heart (93.8%) and head only (85%) stunning. Nose twitching was more common in head only (26.5%) than head/heart (5%) stunning. Head/ heart stunning eliminated rhythmic breathing, natural blinking, eye tracking to moving objects, and righting reflex, which were all observed in head-only stunned pigs. Eye tracking to moving objects was observed in 40.8% of head-only stunned pigs. Blood lactate was not different between stunning methods (head only: 8.8mmol/L, head/heart: 7.8mmol/L). Stun-to-bleed time did not differ (head only: 32s, head/heart: 33s). Mean time to loss of heartbeat with the head-only method was 121s. No heartbeat was observed with the head/heart method. Longissimus thoracis pH, color, and drip loss were not different between stunning methods. This study determined that the head/heart electrical stunning method reduces the incidence of signs of return to sensibility without significant effects on meat quality, plant operation speed, or blood lactate concentration. In addition, the head/heart method requires no capital investment for plants that are currently using the head-only method.
For more information the full article can be found at http://jas.fass.org/
Yeast culture supplement during nursing and transport affects immunity and intestinal microbial ecology of weanling pigs
Posted in: Production, Uncategorized by admin on | No Comments
The objectives of this study were to determine the influence of a Saccharomyces cerevisiae fermentation product on innate immunity and intestinal microbial ecology after weaning and transport stress. In a randomized complete block design, before weaning and in a split-plot analysis of a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement of yeast culture (YY) and transport (TT) after weaning, 3-d-old pigs (n = 108) were randomly assigned within litter (block) to either a control (NY, milk only) or yeast culture diet (YY; delivered in milk to provide 0.1 g of yeast culture product/kg of BW) from d 4 to 21. At weaning (d 21), randomly, one-half of the NY and YY pigs were assigned to a 6-h transport (NY-TT and YY-TT) before being moved to nursery housing, and the other one-half were moved directly to nursery housing (NY-NT and YY-NT, where NT is no transport). The yeast treatment was a 0.2% S. cerevisiae fermentation product and the control treatment was a 0.2% grain blank in feed for 2 wk. On d 1 before transport and on d 1, 4, 7, and 14 after transport, blood was collected for leukocyte assays, and mesenteric lymph node, jejunal, and ileal tissue, and jejunal, ileal, and cecal contents were collected for Toll-like receptor expression (TLR); enumeration of Escherichia coli, total coliforms, and lactobacilli; detection of Salmonella; and microbial analysis. After weaning, a yeast × transport interaction for ADG was seen. Transport affected ADFI after weaning. Yeast treatment decreased hematocrit. A yeast × transport interaction was found for counts of white blood cells and neutrophils and for the neutrophil-tolymphocyte ratio. Monocyte counts revealed a transport effect. Interactions of yeast × transport and yeast × transport × day for TLR2 and yeast × transport for TLR4 expression in the mesenteric lymph node were detected. Day affected lactobacilli, total coliform, and E. coli counts. More pigs were positive for Salmonella on d 7 and 14 than on d 4, and more YY-TT pigs were positive on d 4. The number of bands for microbial amplicons in the ileum was greater for pigs in the control treatment than in the yeast treatment on d 0, and this number tended to decrease between d 1 and 14 for all pigs. Similarity coefficients for jejunal contents were greater for pigs fed NY than for those fed YY, but pigs fed YY had greater similarity coefficients for ileal and cecal contents. The number of yeast × transport × day interactions demonstrates the complexity of the stress and dietary relationship.
For more information the full article can be found at http://jas.fass.org/
Changes of the activities of glycolytic and oxidative enzymes before and after slaughter in the longissimus muscle of Pietrain and Duroc pigs and a Duroc-Pietrain crossbreed
Posted in: Meat Quality, Production by admin on | No Comments
After slaughter of pigs, the pH of the meat decreases due to lactate accumulation within the tissue. In addition to calcium homeostasis, energy metabolism plays a key role during the muscle-to-meat transition, and it is interesting to know how specific enzymes of the glycolytic and oxidative pathways change during this process, especially in relation to the antemortem situation, and if there is an impact of these alterations on the meat quality characteristics. Therefore, in the present study samples of the LM from the pig genetic groups Pietrain (Pi), Duroc (Du), and a Du × Pi crossbreed population (DuPi) were collected 24 h before as well as 1 min, 40 min, and 12 h after slaughter, and the activities of the glycogen phosphorylase (GP), phosphofructokinase (PFK), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), citrate synthase (CS), NADH-ubiquinone oxidoreductase (complex I), and cytochrome oxidase were analyzed. Additional investigations include carcass and meat quality characteristics as well as the microstructure of the LM. The Pi breed had greater carcass yield and lean meat values, but no differences of the meat quality traits could be determined between the investigated pig breeds. The Pi pigs exhibited a greater percentage of fast-twitch glycolytic and had smaller amounts of slow-twitch-oxidative fibers in comparison with the Du pigs. The enzyme activities of the GP, PFK, and complex I increased immediately after slaughter (1 min postmortem) of the pigs and the activity of the LDH within 40 min postmortem. After 12 h, the GP, PFK, LDH, and complex I activities decreased to the amount of the preslaughter sample. No differences could be found with regard to the enzyme activities of the CS and cytochrome oxidase at all determination times. Considering the enzyme activities within the different breeds, the Pi pigs exhibited greater GP and PFK and the Du animals exhibited greater CS and complex I activities. The study indicates that the glycolytic enzymes GP, PFK, and LDH as well as the complex I influence the muscle-to-meat transition process after slaughter of the animals without an impact on the muscle quality. The activities of the GP, PFK, CS, and complex I reflect the differences of the muscle fiber composition between the Pi and Du pigs.
For more information the full article can be found at http://jas.fass.org/
Immune response and blood chemistry of pigs fed conjugated linoleic acid
Posted in: Production by admin on | No Comments
Immune function (response to concanavalin A, cytokine production, and lymphocyte profiles) and blood chemistry variables were measured in growing-finishing pigs (Yorkshire/Landrace/Duroc dam × Hampshire sire) fed varying percentages of CLA (0, 0.12, 0.25, 0.50, and 1.0%). Blood was collected at 0, 14, 28, 42, and 56 d on feed (DOF). Total white blood cell (WBC) count increased linearly to 42 DOF. No differences were observed for WBC across CLA treatment. Nitric oxide was greater for the 1.0% CLA treatment compared with all other treatments. Flow cytometry using fluorescent labeled monoclonal antibodies to the CD4, CD8, double-positive CD4/CD8, and CD2 surface markers was used to determine lymphocyte subpopulations. Supplementation of CLA had no effect on lymphocyte subpopulation cell distribution. Most blood chemistry variables were within the normal metabolic range for pigs. A decrease was observed over DOF for P and K. Additionally, Na and Cl concentrations increased from 14 to 28 DOF and decreased over the remainder of the trial. Electrolyte balance was not different across CLA treatments and was likely explained by no differences in feed intake among the CLA treatment groups. Blood lipid variables indicated that total cholesterol, triglycerides, high density lipoproteins, and low-density lipoproteins increased as the amount of CLA in the diet increased, but none of the results from these treatments exceeded the normal range of acceptability. These results suggested that CLA was safe when fed to growing-finishing pigs and had little effect on their immune function and blood chemistry variables.
For more information the full article can be found at http://jas.fass.org/