Abstract
Medium chain organic acids (MCOA) offer the potential to replace zinc oxide, without dependence on antibiotic use, and can replace or reduce the use of benzoic acid in pig production. A study was conducted to evaluate the effects of caproic acid (C6) and C12 monolaurin (C12M) on the growth performance of weaned pigs, in comparison with zinc oxide (ZnO) and benzoic acid (BA). Specifically, the trial examined whether MCOA, at a reduced inclusion level of BA, could maintain performance levels of pigs similar to those receiving a higher inclusion level of BA. In total, 240 pigs from weaning until 27 d post-weaning were used in a completely randomised block trial with six treatments and eight replicate pens per treatment. Treatments were: (1) control (CON), basal diet (BD); (2) BD+ZnO (ZnO); (3) BD+5,000 mg/kg BA (BA); (4) BD+2,500 mg/kg BA+2,000 mg/kg C12M+700 mg/kg C6 (BAlow/MCOA); (5) BD+2,000 mg/kg C12M+700 mg/kg C6 (MCOA); (6) BD+1000 mg/kg C12M+700 mg/kg C6 (MCOAlow). Feed and water were provided ad libitum. Pigs receiving BA or BA low/MCOA had improved feed conversion ration (FCR) during the period 0-14 days, compared with control pigs (1.02 vs 1.17, P<0.05; 1.06 vs 1.17; P=0.084, respectively). The FCR of pigs receiving BAlow/MCOA was similar to those receiving BA at the higher inclusion-level. Pigs showed good health throughout the study, as indicated by clinical and faecal scores. Replacement of ZnO was inconclusive and further studies with more challenging health conditions are required to conclude benefits.
Highlights
It is well established that the use of antibiotics in in pig production need to be reduced in order to slow the development of antimicrobial resistance which occurs through genetic mutation or acquiring resistance genes from another bacterium, including other species of bacteria (Munita and Arias, 2016)
Initial growth rates were slightly higher than average for this facility at 348 g/pig/d (±SD 70.5) during the first three weeks post-weaning. This higher performance was maintained throughout the study, with pigs gaining an average of 432 g BW/d (±SD 80.2) and consuming an average of 510 g feed/pig/d (±SD 92.1) over the 27 d experimental period
The current study demonstrated measurable improvements in feed conversion efficiency in response to a combination of benzoic acid (BA), caproic acid and monolaurin, even when the background health and growth performance was good
Summary
It is well established that the use of antibiotics in in pig production need to be reduced in order to slow the development of antimicrobial resistance which occurs through genetic mutation (vertical transmission) or acquiring resistance genes from another bacterium (horizontal transmission), including other species of bacteria (Munita and Arias, 2016). In the United Kingdom, the pig sector is still heavily dependent on prophylactic use both of antibiotics and zinc oxide (ZnO). Antibiotic use in 2019 was similar to levels reported in 2018, at 110 mg/population correction unit (PCU), having fallen 60% in the three years prior (AHDB, 2019). This figure indicates that 110 mg of antibiotic active ingredient was used for every kg of bodyweight at time of treatment. Regulation EU 2019/4, which comes into force in January 2022, will prohibit the prophylactic
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