Effect of cereal fermentation and carbohydrase supplementation on growth, nutrient digestibility and intestinal microbiota in liquid-fed grow-finishing pigs

Alberto Torres-Pitarch,Mary Rea,Tomas Ryan,James Cullen,John V O’Doherty,Paul Cormican,Peadar G Lawlor,Fiona Crispie,Pierre Cozannet,Gillian E Gardiner

doi:10.1038/s41598-020-70443-x

Abstract

This study aimed to determine the impact of fermenting the cereal fraction of the diet (Cferm) and enzyme supplementation (ENZ) on the bacterial composition of the feed, nutrient digestibility, pig growth, feed efficiency (FE), intestinal volatile fatty acid (VFA) concentrations and intestinal microbiota composition. A total of 252 grow-finisher pigs (~ 40.4 kg; 7 pigs/pen) were randomly allocated to 4 diets in a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement for 55d. The diets were: (1) fresh liquid feed (Fresh); (2) Cferm liquid feed (Ferm); (3) Fresh + ENZ and (4) Ferm + ENZ. Cferm increased total tract nutrient digestibility, reduced caecal butyrate and propionate concentrations, and increased average daily gain (ADG). ENZ increased ileal and total tract nutrient digestibility, reduced caecal isobutyrate and propionate concentrations, and improved FE. Bacterial taxa positively correlated with pig growth (Lactobacillus kisonensis in the ileum and Roseburia faecis in the caecum) were more abundant in pigs fed ENZ diets, whereas most of the ileal bacterial taxa negatively correlated with growth (Megasphaera, Bifidobacterium and Streptococcus) had lower abundance in pigs fed Cferm diets. In conclusion, Cferm increased ADG and ENZ improved FE, with these improvements possibly mediated by increased nutrient digestibility, and beneficial modulation of the intestinal microbiota.

Highlights

This study aimed to determine the impact of fermenting the cereal fraction of the diet (Cferm) and enzyme supplementation (ENZ) on the bacterial composition of the feed, nutrient digestibility, pig growth, feed efficiency (FE), intestinal volatile fatty acid (VFA) concentrations and intestinal microbiota composition
There were some differences between the tank containing the fermented Cereal fraction (CER) and the tank containing the fermented CER + ENZ during the initial fermentation process, in that the lactic acid bacteria (LAB) counts did not increase as fast and the pH and Enterobacteriaceae counts did not decrease as fast in the CER + ENZ tank
At time 52 h, similar results were observed in both fermentation tanks for pH, VFA concentrations and LAB, Enterobacteriaceae, and mould counts but yeast counts were 100-fold lower in the CER + ENZ tank

Summary

Introduction

This study aimed to determine the impact of fermenting the cereal fraction of the diet (Cferm) and enzyme supplementation (ENZ) on the bacterial composition of the feed, nutrient digestibility, pig growth, feed efficiency (FE), intestinal volatile fatty acid (VFA) concentrations and intestinal microbiota composition. The hypothesis of this study was that feeding C ferm diets, with or without ENZ supplementation, to grow-finishing pigs would favourably modulate the intestinal microbiota and improve growth and FE. The objective was to determine the impact of both strategies on the bacterial composition of the feed, nutrient digestibility, pig growth, FE, intestinal VFA concentrations and intestinal microbiota composition. To help identify the microbial taxa that utilize the substrates released by C ferm and ENZ most efficiently, correlations between growth parameters, intestinal VFA concentrations and the relative abundance of microbial taxa were investigated

Objectives

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Results

Conclusion