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:
Effect of vaccination of boars against porcine circovirus type 2 on ejaculate characteristics, serum antibody titers, viremia, and semen virus shedding
Posted in: Production by admin on August 8, 2011 | No Comments
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.
For more information the full article can be found at http://jas.fass.org/
Effects of mannanase and distillers dried grain with solubles on growth performance, nutrient digestibility, and carcass characteristics of grower-finisher pigs
Posted in: Production by admin on | No Comments
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.
For more information the full article can be found at http://jas.fass.org/
Effect of microclimate on particulate matter, airborne bacteria, and odorous compounds in swine nursery houses
Posted in: Production by admin on | No Comments
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.
For more information the full article can be found at http://jas.fass.org/
Amino acid and fiber digestibility, intestinal bacterial profile, and enzyme activity in growing pigs fed dried distillers grains with solubles-based diets
Posted in: Production by admin on | No Comments
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.
For more information the full article can be found at http://jas.fass.org/
Visfatin regulates genes related to lipid metabolism in porcine adipocytes
Posted in: Production by admin on | No Comments
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.
For more information the full article can be found at http://jas.fass.org/
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
Posted in: Meat Quality, Production by admin on | No Comments
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.
To view this complete article please visit: http://jas.fass.org/
Differential composition of proteomes in sow colostrum and milk from anterior and posterior mammary glands
Posted in: Production by admin on | No Comments
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.
For more information the full article can be found at http://jas.fass.org/
Energy and amino acid utilization in expeller-extracted canola meal fed to growing pigs
Posted in: Energy, Production by admin on | No Comments
Two experiments were conducted to determine the nutritive value of expeller-extracted canola meal (EECM) for growing pigs. In Exp. 1, a total of 6 ileally cannulated barrows (average initial BW = 26.8 kg) were fed 3 diets in a replicated 3 × 3 Latin square design to determine the apparent and standardized ileal digestibility (SID) values of N and AA and the SID AA contents of EECM. The 3 diets were a cornstarch-based diet with either solvent-extracted canola meal (SECM) or EECM as the sole source of protein, and a low-casein cornstarch-based diet, which was used to estimate basal endogenous N and AA losses to determine the SID of N and AA. All 3 diets contained chromic oxide as an indigestible marker for determining nutrient digestibility by the indicator method. In Exp. 2, a total of 18 intact barrows (average initial BW = 25.9 kg) were fed 3 diets in a completely randomized design (6 pigs per diet) to determine apparent total tract digestibility and retention of nutrients and the DE and ME contents of EECM. The diets were a basal corn-based diet or the basal diet with corn replaced by 35% SECM or EECM. The basal diet was used for determining the total tract digestible nutrient content by the difference method. Solvent-extracted canola meal, which is commonly used in the formulation of swine diets, was fed in both experiments for comparison with EECM. The SECM and EECM were similar in CP content (41.8 vs. 41.4%). Expeller-extracted canola meal was, however, greater in ether extract content (12.03 vs. 5.54%) and decreased in NDF content (23.8 vs. 29.9%) compared with SECM. The EECM also had a greater content of all the AA except Met, Cys, and Ser, by approximately 6.6%; Cys was greater in SECM, whereas Met and Ser were similar between the 2 meals. The EECM had greater SID of N, Arg, Ile, Leu, Phe, Glu, and Pro. The SID contents of Arg, His, Ile, Leu, Phe, Val, Ala, Asp, Glu, Gly, Pro, and Tyr were also greater for EECM than for SECM by an average of 15%. The EECM had greater DE (4,107 vs. 3,790 kcal/kg) and ME (3,978 vs. 3,564 kcal/kg) values compared with SECM. The results show that the EECM used in the current study had greater digestible AA and energy and a greater ME content than the SECM; hence, it may be a better source of protein and energy for growing pigs than SECM.
For more information the full article can be found at http://jas.fass.org/
Heritabilities and genetic correlations for litter size and semen traits in Czech Large White and Landrace pigs
Posted in: Production by admin on | No Comments
The objective of the present study was to estimate heritabilities and genetic correlations for semen and litter size traits using full animal model analyses. Litter size data were available from 28,485 Czech Large White and 10,410 Czech Landrace sows farrowing between 1995 and 2008. The number of litter records was 91,922 and 30,937, respectively. Records on semen traits (37,137 ejaculates from 778 Large White boars and 51,341 ejaculates from 841 Landrace boars) were available from 22 AI centers in the Czech Republic from 2000 to 2009. All calculations were carried out separately for each breed. Number of functional sperm was defined as total number of sperm times the fraction of motile sperm times (1 – the fraction of abnormal sperm). Among the semen traits, semen volume showed the greatest heritability (0.20 in Large White and 0.25 in Landrace), followed by sperm concentration with a heritability of 0.18 in both breeds. The heritabilities of the remaining 4 traits (motility, percentage of abnormal sperm, total number of sperm, and number of functional sperm) were around 0.10. Large negative genetic correlations were observed between semen volume and sperm concentration and between motility and percentage of abnormal sperm, especially in Large White. Positive and negative correlations among remaining semen traits were mostly of small magnitude. There was a tendency for increasing litter size to be associated with slight decreases in the total number of sperm and in the number of functional sperm, especially in the Large White breed (genetic correlations of −0.08 to −0.14 and −0.16 to −0.31, respectively, with SE between 0.100 and 0.114). Some of the correlations between semen and litter size traits (especially with the percentage of abnormal sperm) were breed-specific (positive up to 0.63 for Large White and negative until −0.41 in Landrace). Furthermore, parity-specific correlations were observed in the Large White breed.
For more information the full article can be found at http://jas.fass.org/
Partition of minerals in body components from a high- and low-lean genetic line of barrows and gilts from 20 to 125 kilograms of body weight
Posted in: Production by admin on | No Comments
An experiment was conducted to determine if the macro- and micromineral contents of the ham and loin or the remaining body component differed by genetic line, sex, or BW. The experiment was a completely randomized design with a factorial arrangement (2 × 2 × 5) using barrows and gilts of 2 genetic lines at 5 BW intervals in 2 groups with 6 replicates (n = 120 pigs). Pigs were housed in groups of 5 per pen and removed when individual pigs reached their targeted BW. Twelve pigs (3 from each genetic line and sex) were killed at 23 kg of BW and at 25-kg intervals up to 125 kg of BW. After slaughter, loin and ham muscles were dissected and trimmed of fat, with the ham deboned. This muscle mass constituted the first body compartment. The trimming from these muscles, ham bones, the remaining body, internal tissues, skin, and head were combined and constituted the second body component. The data were analyzed by PROC MIXED using the animal as the experimental unit. Muscle weights and their protein contents differed between the high- and the low-lean pigs and barrows and gilts and also among 5 BW groups/intervals. Total macro- and micromineral contents in the loin and ham were greater in the high-lean genetic line and gilts and increased as BW increased. Genetic line × BW and sex × BW interactions occurred for the macrominerals and for Fe, Se, and Zn, with contents diverging, and were greater as BW increased in high-lean pigs and gilts. The weight and protein content of the remaining body component was greater in the high-lean genetic line but not for the 2 sexes. In this body component, macromineral contents were greater as BW increased, as were the microminerals Fe, Se, and Zn. When the minerals were expressed on a per kilogram of body component basis, the ham and loin mineral compositions were similar for both genetic lines and sexes, but Na and Cl declined as BW increased. Most microminerals showed a small increase with BW. In the remaining body component, Ca increased in the low-lean line, whereas K was greater in the high-lean genetic line. When expressed on a unit protein basis, the low-lean genetic line had more macrominerals in the loin and ham than the high-lean genetic line. These results indicate that high-lean genetic line pigs and gilts have greater total macro- and micromineral contents in the ham and loin than the low-lean pigs, thus indicating that their dietary mineral needs are greater during the latter part of the finisher period in heavier muscled pigs.
For more information the full article can be found at http://jas.fass.org/