PSIV-20 Evaluation of pectinase on nursery pig performance

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Abstract Non-starch polysaccharidases have been widely employed in swine production to enhance fiber digestion and nutrient utilization, yielding mixed results. Our objective was to evaluate the effects of an exogenous pectinase on performance of early nursery pigs. The study utilized 320 mixed sex freshly weaned pigs, 19-21 d of age [5.4 ± 1.1 kg body weight (BW), Camborough (1050) x 337, (PIC, Hendersonville, TN)], sourced from a commercial sow farm. Upon arrival, pigs were randomly allotted to four dietary treatments (10 pens/treatment, 6 gilts and 2 barrows/pen). All diets were fed in two phases consisting of 7 and 14 d over a 21-d study period. Phase 1 basal diets consisted of 40% soybean meal, 1.45% SID Lys, and 3,396 kcal/kg ME. Phase 2 basal diets consisted of 40% soybean meal, 1.375% SID Lys, and 3,396 kcal/kg ME. In both phases, exogenous pectinase was included at 0, 8, 40, and 80 (g/MT). Pen bodyweights and feed disappearance were collected at the start and end of each phase to calculate average daily gain (ADG), average daily feed intake (ADFI), and gain to feed ratio (G:F). Fecal consistency was scored for diarrhea presence daily. In all analyses, pens served as the experimental units. Growth performance and mortality/removals data were analyzed within phase and overall with the fixed effect of pectinase level, including the linear and quadratic effects of varying pectinase levels across the diets. No discernible health impacts were identified based on observations of mortality/removals and fecal consistency scores (P > 0.10). There were no notable main, linear, or quadratic effects observed on pig bodyweights during the trial. Overall, the diet had a significant impact on ADG (P < 0.05), showing a positive trend associated with pectinase inclusion (linear P = 0.08). This trend was supported by a 14% increase in the ADG of pigs that consumed the diet with 80 g/MT of pectinase, in contrast to pigs fed the control diet. Phase 1 did not exhibit any notable effects on performance in terms of main, linear, or quadratic trends. In contrast, during phase 2, the diet significantly affected the ADG of pigs, with all pectinase-containing diets promoting greater body weight gain compared with control-fed pigs (P < 0.05). Additionally, there was a tendency for a diet effect on GF in phase 2 (P = 0.09). Pigs that were fed the diet with 80 g/MT of pectinase observed a 14-22% improvement in feed efficiency compared with all the other dietary groups. In conclusion, the addition of pectinase to early nursery pig diets had the capacity to enhance pig performance without any adverse effects on pig health when feeding high soybean meal.