Calcium anacardate and citric acid as growth promoters for weaned piglets

Abstract

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of dietary supplementation of Ca anacardate and citric acid for weaned piglets on growth performance, diarrhea incidence, pH of gastrointestinal contents, blood profile, intestinal morphometry, and immunohistochemistry in the periods I (d 0 to 12), II (d 12 to 22), III (d 22 to 42), and total (d 0 to 42). A total of 96 barrows weaned at 21 d of age (5.96 ±0.81 kg) were allocated to 4 treatments with 8 replicates pens and 3 piglets per pen in a randomized block design. The experimental treatments were: positive control, diet with addition of antibiotic growth promoter (AGP, 0.05% zinc bacitracin); negative control, diet without addition of AGP; negative control diet with addition of 1% citric acid and 0.6% Ca anacardate; and negative control diet with addition of 1% citric acid and 1% Ca anacardate. Piglets fed the diets containing AGP or Ca anacardate and citric acid had decreased values of feed:gain during the period III and total period (P < 0.05). The supply of Ca anacardate and citric acid or AGP for nursery piglets increased the mucosal thickness, villus height, and absorptive area in the duodenum, and also the number of goblet cells of jejunum (P < 0.05). No differences were observed among the treatments on diarrhea incidence, stomach and small intestine pH, and intestinal immunohistochemistry. Dietary supplementation of Ca anacardate and citric acid positively affected growth performance and intestinal morphometry of weaned piglets and resulted in similar results to the use of AGP.