Effects of supplementation of xylanase, phospholipase or combination of both to a wheat-based diet on digestive function in early-weaned piglets

V Sileikiene,G Diebold,M Tafaj,R Mosenthin

doi:10.22358/jafs/66839/2006

Abstract

The effect of enzyme supplementation was studied in a balanced three-period (3 x 13 days) crossover trial with 16 male piglets weaned on day 11 post-natum. On days 15 and 16 of age the piglets were fitted with a simple T-cannula at the distal ileum. Starting on day 21 post-natum, piglets were fed the basal diet (22.1% CP and 14.5 MJ ME/kg as fed) without or with the addition of xylanase (endo-1,4-β-xylanase, EC 3.2.1.8) at a level of 5600 EXU/kg (as fed) or phospholipase (phospholipase A2, EC 3.1.1.4) at a level of 1000 IU/kg (as fed), or a combination of both. Activities of maltase, lactase, leucine aminopeptidase (LAP), lipase and α-amylase were measured in ileal digesta. The supplementation with exogenous feed enzymes had no significant (P>0.05) effect on the activities of maltase, LAP, lipase and α-amylase. The activity of lactase tended (P=0.1) to be higher in piglets fed the diet supplemented with the combination of both enzymes compared to the basal diet. In conclusion, the addition of exogenous feed enzymes had only minor effects on the activity of piglets’ own enzymes in the chyme entering the hindgut.

Highlights

The post-weaning period of piglets is generally associated with major stresses such as a separation from the sow, a new environment and changes in diet composition
Jensen et al (1998), who measured the activity of pancreatic enzymes in digesta of different segments of the small intestine and pancreatic tissue, obtained no effect of exogenous feed enzymes on the activity of pancreatic enzymes
Differences compared to the control diet within rows are marked † for tendencies (P≤0.10) 2 leucine aminopeptidase reported that the supplementation of pig diets based on barley with both xylanase and β-glucanase caused a significant increase in activity of γ-glutamyl transpeptidase in the jejunal mucosa only, whereas activities of disaccharidases, including maltase and lactase, were not significantly changed

Summary

Introduction

The post-weaning period of piglets is generally associated with major stresses such as a separation from the sow, a new environment and changes in diet composition. Due to these stressors marked changes occur in the morphohistological structure in the small intestine of piglets, such as atrophy of villous, crypt hyperplasia, and a decline in the activity of brush-border enzymes (Pluske et al, 1997; Pluske, 2001). Other authors (e.g., Inborr et al, 1994) even report that feed enzymes may depress the activity of pancreatic enzymes measured in digesta obtained from different segments of the small intestine

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