Effect of brewers grain on intestinal microbial activity and mucosa morphology of weaned piglets

Abstract

The effects of brewers grain on intestinal microbial activity and intestinal mucosa morphology were studied using 24 piglets, weaned at 21 days of age. Animals were assigned to 3 groups receiving a different diet. Diet C was a low fibre diet; diets WB and BG contained 15% of wheat bran (WB) or brewers grain (BG), respectively. The levels of total VFA in the caecum were 129.2, 181.4 and 173.0 mmol/l (P < 0.10) and in the colon were 165.9, 181.5 and 147.0 mmol/l (P > 0.05) for diets C, WB and BG, respectively. The molar proportions of acetic:total, propionic:total and butyric:total were not affected by diets in the caecum and colon contents. Increasing NDF level of piglet diets did not affect the xylanolitic, pectinolitic and celulolitic activities in the caecum and colon of piglets. Nevertheless, for WB and BG diets the xylanolitic and celulolitic activities in the caecum were 3.20 and 1.84 mmol l − 1 (P < 0.10) and 2.26 and 1.06 mmol l − 1 (P < 0.05), respectively. The replacement of WB by BG decreased the celulolitic (P < 0.05) and xylanolitic (P < 0.10) activities in the caecum. Comparing diets C and WB, WB had no significant effect on the mucosa intestinal morphology. The inclusion of BG to the control diet increased villus width in the duodenum and jejunum, villus height in the jejunum and crypt depth in the jejunum and ileum. Considering the two fibre sources, piglets fed BG had greater villus width in the jejunum and deeper crypts in the jejunum and ileum. In conclusion the inclusion of WB or BG to the control diet increases VFA levels in the caecum but only the inclusion of BG has significantly affected the intestinal morphology.