Abstract
Seventy five pigs [(Landrace × Yorkshire) × Duroc] with an initial body weight of 23.3±1.40 kg were used in the present study to investigate the influence of supplementation of a Bacillus spp. combination as probiotic (0%, 0.01%, and 0.02% with basal diet) in growing-finishing pig diets on performance parameters with a feeding trial period of 16 weeks. Growth performance was analyzed at the start and at weeks 6, 12, and 16 of the experimental period. The entire experiment using probiotic supplementation in the diet revealed significant differences in average daily gain and gain:feed, but no effects on average daily feed intake. The result showed significant effects on digestibility of dry matter (0.002), nitrogen (0.069), and energy (0.099) at week 16; and number of fecal Lactobacillus (0.082, 0.041), E. coli (0.097, 0.052), and blood glucose (0.001, 0.049) at weeks 6 and 16. Dietary supplementation with Bacillus spp. probiotic resulted in a significant linear effect on sensory evaluation of meat color, drip loss at day 3, and carcass weight in pigs. In contrast, there was no significant difference in blood metabolic profiles and noxious gas emissions in this experiment. Dietary combination of Bacillus spp. can be used as a probiotic for enhancing the growth performances and carcass quality of growing-finishing pigs.
Highlights
Probiotics have received considerable attention as suitable alternatives of antibiotics to promote growth in the pig industry (Chen et al, 2006; Meng et al, 2010; Yan and Kim, 2011)
The results for growth performance indicated Bacillus spp. probiotic supplementation had a linear trend on average daily gain (ADG) and G:F (P = 0.052 and P = 0.062, respectively) at week 16 and a significant linear effect on ADG and G:F (P = 0.041 and P = 0.019, respectively) in the overall experiment
A significant linear effect on nutrient digestibility of dry matter (DM) (P = 0.002) and a linear trend on N (P = 0.069) as well as E (P = 0.099) at week 16 were observed in pigs fed 0.2% Bacillus-based probiotic diets (Table 3)
Summary
Probiotics have received considerable attention as suitable alternatives of antibiotics to promote growth in the pig industry (Chen et al, 2006; Meng et al, 2010; Yan and Kim, 2011). Using antibiotics as growth promoters in animal feeds has been forbidden since 2011 (Global Agricultural Information Network, 2011) in South Korea. Among several bacterial species used as probiotics, spore-forming Bacillus spp. has been considered the most appropriate probiotic as its spores can resist harsh environments, allowing extensive storage at ambient temperature (Fuller, 1989; Hong et al, 2005). Previous studies on dietary supplementation with Bacillus spp. product in pigs have reported favorable results (Hong et al, 2002; Gracia et al, 2004; Wang et al, 2009; Yan and Kim, 2011). It has been well accepted that dietary probiotics could benefit animal performance by producing antibacterial substances in their intestines (Hentges, 1992) by competing with harmful gut flora and stimulating the immune system (Khajarern and Khajarem, 1994)
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