Evaluation of dietary factors limiting caloric and nutritional efficiency in pork production

Abstract

Swine nutrition research goes beyond diet formulation and feeding pigs. When considering a systems approach, swine nutrition research is indispensable to improve food security, animal well-being, animal health, sustainability, and the environmental impact of production systems. The One Health concept has emerged to ensure optimal health outcomes toward animals, humans, and the environment. This can be achieved in the swine industry by optimizing nutrient utilization of pigs and removing antimicrobial growth promoters (AGPs) from diets. With the aim to improve pig production performance, four studies were conducted to investigate dietary factors that limit caloric and nutritional efficiency of pigs. Research in chapters 2 and 3 indicated that lipid peroxidation has detrimental effects on animal health and growth performance of swine and poultry fed iso-caloric diets, whereas adding antioxidants enhance lipid stability preventing further lipid peroxidation of supplemental lipids, reducing incidence of oxidative stress in pigs. Research in chapter 4 revealed that diets with increased viscosity induced by dietary fiber changed intestinal morphology and digestive enzyme activities with decreased energy and nutrient digestibility in pigs. Research in chapter 5 characterized growth-related responses in the intestine of pigs fed AGPs, shedding light on the potential mechanisms of growth-promoting effects of antimicrobials that could guide the discovery of AGP alternatives. In this dissertation, a novel approach combining swine nutrition research and digestive physiology was adopted to pinpoint dietary factors limiting nutrient utilization and growth in pigs. The main findings from this research on feeding lipids, dietary fiber, and AGPs will help develop sustainable feeding programs for pigs and achieve One Health.