Growth responses and serum enzyme activities in growing pigs resultant from supplementing diets based on aged barley with synthetic δ-α-tocopherol

Abstract

SUMMARYIn group and individual feeding experiments of 98 days duration, a total of 96 Large White x Landrace 9-week-old pigs were fed diets (containing 0–09 mg selenium/kg) based on 85% of barley (containing 3 mg δ-α-tocopherol/kg), which had been stored aerobically for 1 year, with 0 (basal), 10, 20, 40, 80 or 160 mg/kg of synthetic δ-α-tocopherol added. In both experiments the tocopherol supplementation significantly improved growth rates over those obtained from the basal diet. Serum creatine phosphokinase and aspartate aminotransferase activities were not significantly affected.