PSXIII-16 Effects of Clay Mineral ‘Illite’ on the Growth Performance, Nutrient Digestibility and Meat-Carcass Grade Quality in Growing-Finishing Pigs

Abstract

Abstract Clays are crystalline, hydrated aluminosilicate molecules composed of alkali and alkaline earth cations along with small amounts of various other elements. The best-known are montmorillonite, smectite, illite, kaolinite, biotite and clinoptilolite. Such illite was used in this present study to investigate its effects on the growth performance, nutrient digestibility and meat-carcass grade quality in growing-finishing pigs. A total of 150 pigs (Landrace × Yorkshire × Duroc); weighted 25.42 ± 3.23kg, were selected and randomly allocated to 2 treatments with 15 replicates per group and 5 pigs per replicates according to initial body weight and sex. The experimental treatments consisted of corn-soybean meal-based basal diet (CON) and basal diet supplemented with 0.5% illite (IL). The experiment period lasted for 126 days. Pigs fed IL supplemented diet had greater (P<0.05) average daily feed intake (ADFI) and reduction in G:F during 43 to 70 and 99- 126 days compared with pigs fed CON diet. The apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD) of dry matter (DM) was greater during day 42 and 126 in pigs receiving IL supplemented diet compared with CON diet. The inclusion of IL in the diet of the pigs had increased (P< 0.05) backfat thickness (BFT) during day 98 while drip loss was decreased (P < 0.05) on day 7 and showed tendency (P=0.088) to increase the meat firmness. Therefore, we concluded that supplementation of 0.5% of IL in diets could improve growth performance, total tract digestibility of dry matter, and meat quality in growing-finishing pigs