Tools to help pork producers deal with the scourge of mycotoxins

Posted in: Production by admin on January 1, 2008 | No Comments

Researcher Art Schaafsma explains that they are developing
a set of tools which will help the industry deal with
the various mycotoxins produced by fusarium fungi. Mycotoxin problems arise if there is warm, rainy weather
just after silking. The more rain days around silking, the
greater the risk, explains Schaafsma. By the end of August,
he has a pretty good idea of where the problem areas will
be. If corn is clean then, a lot of rain in the fall is much less
likely to cause a problem to develop, he says. However, if the
fungi have started growing by August, a wet fall will make it worse “A forecast would give you a ‘heads-up’”, says Schaafsma, enabling producers to make informed decisions about which fields to keep and which fields to sell. A similar forecasting tool is already available to wheat growers, who have not raised the same resistance to its use. With corn, “it is very difficult to get support for this,” says Schaafsma. The scientist also recommends
that growers choose BT varieties because increased
insect pressure opens the grain to fungal infection.

Economic Value of Ethanol Byproducts in Swine Diets: Evaluating Profitability of Corn Fractionation Techniques

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The effects of feeding rice in substitution of corn and the degree of starch gelatinization of rice on the digestibility of dietary components and productive performance of young pigs

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A 28-d trial was conducted to evaluate the effect of the main cereal of the diet (corn or rice), heat processing (HP) of rice, and the degree of starch gelatinization (SG) of rice on apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD) of dietary components and productive performance of pigs weaned at 25 d of age. It was found that feeding rice improved performance of weanling pigs, and HP of rice under mild conditions enhanced diet digestibility and productive performance of pigs. Severe processing of rice increased the degree of SG but did not further improve diet digestibility or growth performance.

Digestion of carbohydrates and utilization of energy in sows fed diets with contrasting levels and physicochemical properties of dietary fiber

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This research paper investigates the digestion of carbohydrates and utlization of energy in sows fed diets with different levels and physicochemical properties of dietary fibre (DF). It was shown that the DF level influenced the ileal flow of most nutrients, in particular carbohydrates. Feeding HF diets resulted in greater CH4 production, which was related to the amount of carbohydrates and OM fermented in the large intestine, but with no difference in heat production.

Intestinal metabolism of weaned piglets fed a typical United States or European diet with or without supplementation of tributyrin and lactitol

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The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of a supplementation diet, composed of tributyrin and lactitol (TL), and a standard diet without growth promotors (EU). Then the effects were compared with a standard US diet. It was concluded that the US diet had a greater effect on growth performance and mucosal trophic status than EU diets, the supplementation with slowly released TL seemed to be an effective tool to partially overcoming the adverse effects of vegetable protein diets.

Feeding flaxseed to sows during late-gestation and lactation affects mammary development but not mammary expression of selected genes in their offspring

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Mammary gland
composition and mammary gene expression were measured in pubertal gilts whose dam were fed a control (CTL) diet or a
diet with a 10% supplement of flaxseed (FS) during late-gestation and throughout lactation. Parenchymal weight
expressed as a percentage of body weight tended to be greater in offspring from FS compared with CTL sows (P<0.1) and to contain less fat (P<0.1). Offspring from FS sows had more parenchymal protein, whether expressed as a percentage (P<0.05) or total amount in tissue (P¡Ü0.05), than offspring from CTL sows. No changes (P>0.1) in mammary gland
expression of the studied genes were observed with dietary treatment.

Optimum duration of performance tests for evaluating growing pigs for growth and feed efficiency traits

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The optimum duration of test for the measurement of ADG, ADFI, feed:gain ratio and residual feed intake was examined in growing pigs. The results indicated that for growing pigs under good nutrition and ad libitum feeding, a 28-
day test was adequate for the measurement of feed intake, whereas a 35-day test was required to measure ADG,
feed:gain ratio, and residual feed intake without compromising the accuracy of measurement.

Changes in haptoglobin, C-reactive protein and pig-MAP during a housing period following long distance transport in swine

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The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of a housing period following long distance transport on haptoglobin (Hp), C-reactive protein (CRP) and pig major acute phase protein (pig-MAP) in swine. The results indicate that stressors associated with transportation and new accommodation can cause an increase in Acute phase proteins that could be useful indicators of welfare during transport and routine management.

A note on genetic parameters for estrus symptoms in sows

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The aim of the study was to estimate genetic parameters and breeding values for estrus symptoms, a trait which included
swelling and reddening of the vulva, interest in the boar and strength of the standing reflex. This paper concludes that it seems that a selection for the trait estrus symptoms is possible but is not accompanied by a change in the litter size.

Consequences of pig domestication for skeletal muscle growth and cellularity

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Long-time domestication of the pig has lead to
substantial changes in the ontogenic development and
the contractile and metabolic properties of skeletal
muscle. Skeletal muscle of domestic pigs appears less
mature at birth and contains a lower number of
myofibers compared with wild-type pigs. The later
superiority of domestic pigs over wild-type pigs in skeletal muscle mass results mainly from accelerated
myofiber hypertrophy and protein accretion at the level
of transcription during postnatal growth. To less extent
there is a contribution by additional myofiber formation
shortly after birth in some muscles. In addition,
domestication was associated with a clear shift of
skeletal muscle to fast-twitch glycolytic properties.