Abstract
Corn and soybean meal are the two main components in formula feed of farm animals, leading to a serious food competition between humans and livestock. An alternative may be to encourage the utilization of unconventional feedstuff in animal diet. In the current study, we evaluated the utilization of fermented alfalfa meal (FAM) in weaned pigs. Twenty weaned piglets (separately caged) were randomly divided into two groups. Pigs in the control group (CON) were fed corn-soybean meal diet, and part of corn and soya protein concentrate in the diet of another group was replaced by 8% FAM. After 40 days of feeding, the average feed intake of FAM pigs was increased (P > 0.05), and the villus height (VH) of jejunum and duodenum, crypt depth (CD), and VH/CD in FAM pigs was improved compared to the CON group (P < 0.05). The increase (P < 0.05) of goblet cells in the jejunum of FAM pigs was positively correlated with the expression of MUC-2 gene (R = 0.9150). The expression of genes related to immunity (IRAK4, NF-κB, and IL-10) and intestinal barrier (Occludin and MUC-2) in the jejunum, as well as the expression of ZO-1 and MUC-2 in the colon of these pigs, also showed increase (P < 0.05) compared to CON pigs, which was accompanied by the decrease (P < 0.05) of LPS concentration in the serum. The elevated proportion of CD3+ and CD8+ T-lymphocyte subsets in spleen (P < 0.05) confirmed the improvement of systemic immune function in FAM pigs. In addition, FAM pigs have a higher β-diversity of microbial community (P < 0.05) and promoted enrichment of probiotics such as Lactobacillus that positively was correlated with acetate concentration in the colon over CON pigs. In summary, partially replacement of expanded corn and soya protein concentrate with FAM (8%) may benefit the intestinal barrier and immune function of weaned pigs without affecting their growth. Our findings also provide evidence of the feasibility of FAM as a dietary component in pigs to reduce the consumption of grain.
Highlights
The expanding livestock industry has led to an increase in the demand for grain and its by-products, resulting in deteriorating food competition between humans and livestock (van Kernebeek et al, 2016; van Zanten et al, 2018) and adverse environmental impacts (Schader et al, 2015)
After 40 days of feeding, no difference in the final body weight (FBW), ADG, and F/G was found between the two groups (P < 0.05), but the ADFI of fermented alfalfa meal (FAM) pigs was increased (P < 0.05, Table 2)
We proved the feasibility of small-amount substitution of expanded corn and soybean protein concentrate by FAM in the feed of weaned piglets
Summary
The expanding livestock industry has led to an increase in the demand for grain and its by-products, resulting in deteriorating food competition between humans and livestock (van Kernebeek et al, 2016; van Zanten et al, 2018) and adverse environmental impacts (Schader et al, 2015). To meet the increasing demand for high-quality meat, the swine populations in China have a rapid growth (Zhuang et al, 2020), leading to an increase in the consumption of corn-soybean meal based commercial feed. Due to its high content of crude fiber, alfalfa meal is not considered to be effectively used by pigs. We have previously reported that the solid-state fermentation by compound fungal strains can reduce the level of crude fiber in wheat bran and increase the content of soluble dietary fiber (SDF), and the supplement of fermented wheat bran in the diet can improve the intestinal health without affecting the growth performance in weaned pigs (Luo et al, 2021). The growth performance, intestinal barrier, immunity related parameters, and the colonic microbiota were investigated to discuss the potential effects of FAM on intestinal health of weaned pigs
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