Effect of carbohydrases on growth performance, nutrient digestibility, blood profiles, and fecal microbiota in weanling pigs fed reduced energy diet

Abstract

This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of carbohydrases on growth performance, nutrient digestibility, blood profiles, and fecal microbiota in weanling pigs fed reduced energy diet. A total of 160 crossbred [(Yorkshire × Landrace) × Duroc)] weanling pigs with an initial body weight (BW) of 7.23 ± 1.08 kg were used in this 42 d trial. Pigs were randomly allocated in one of the following four dietary treatments: (1) CON, basal diet [net energy (NE) 2545 kcal kg−1]; (2) LE, low-energy diet (NE 2470 kcal kg−1); (3) LEC1, LE + 0.1% carbohydrase; and (4) LEC2, LE + 0.2% carbohydrase based on the sex and BW. There were eight replications (pens) per treatment with five pigs (two male and three female) per pen. During day 0–7, pigs fed with LE diet had lower (P < 0.05) average daily gain (ADG) and average daily feed intake than those fed with CON and LEC2 diets. LE group reduced (P < 0.05) ADG throughout the experiment compared with CON and LEC2 groups. LE group reduced (P < 0.05) the digestibility of dry matter, nitrogen, and gross energy compared with LEC2 diet. Taken together, LE diet caused detrimental effects on growth performance and nutrient digestibility in weanlings, whereas the addition of carbohydrases (0.2%) partially counteracted these negative effects.