To assess the effects of 2 high intensity
sodium saccharine-based sweeteners on individual
feed intake characteristics and performance of grouphoused
weaned pigs, one hundred ninety-eight 26-d-old
weanling pigs were given ad libitum access to 3 dietary
treatments containing: no additional sweetener (control),
150 mg of sweetener (Sucram C-150)/kg, or 150
mg of sweetener (Sucram 3D)/kg. At weaning, piglets
were allocated to 18 pens (11 pigs/pen) based on BW,
sex, and ancestry, and pens were randomly assigned to
3 treatments with 6 pens per treatment. The pens were
equipped with computerized feeding stations. During
the first 12 d, pigs were offered pelleted prestarter diets
that were replaced at once by pelleted starter diets
for the last 7 d of the 19-d experimental period. The
individual feed intake characteristics consisting of latency
time (interval between weaning and first feed
intake), initial feed intake (intake during the first 24
h following the first feed intake), the number of total
visits per day, and the number of visits in which feed
was consumed, together with the time and the feed
intake per visit, were determined for all piglets. Performance
traits and fecal consistency were determined
per pen for d 0 to 5, d 5 to 12, and d 12 to 19, as well
as for the total period (d 0 to 19). The initiation of feed
intake was not affected by the addition of high intensity
sweeteners to the diet. From 12 d postweaning, dietary
sweeteners caused the piglets to focus more on
feed intake and less on exploratory behavior, as shown
by the increased percentage of visits with feed intake
in pigs fed the Sucram 3D diet compared with those
fed the control diet (P = 0.002). The overall daily feed
intake increased with time but was not affected by the
addition of sweeteners. Nevertheless, dietary sweeteners
prevented the depression of feed intake on d 8 and
10 postweaning (d 8, P = 0.013; d 10, P = 0.014), which
seemed to coincide with an improved fecal consistency
score (d 5 to 12, P = 0.11; d 12 to 19, P < 0.001). However, the changes in feed intake characteristics and fecal consistency only resulted in numerical effects on postweaning pig performance (ADFI, P = 0.126; ADG, P = 0.140). The results of the present study indicate that weanling pigs need a certain period of time before clear effects of dietary sweeteners on individual feed intake characteristics and pig performance can be observed.