Abstract
Simple SummaryInformation about the optimal carbohydrate combination for pigs is scarce. This present study explored the effects of different combinations of starch, non-starch polysaccharides, and mannan-oligosaccharide on the growth performance, nutrient digestibility, and microbial communities in weaned pigs, which contributed a novel way of evaluating the carbohydrate quality of the diet for pigs.The present experiment was conducted to dissect the effects of different carbohydrate combinations on the growth performance, nutrient digestibility, and microbial communities in weaned pigs. The combination was optimized by constructing L9(34) orthogonal design. Three factors include starch (amylose to amylopectin (AM/AP) ratio 2:1, 1:1, 1:2), non-starch polysaccharides (NSP) (1%, 2%, 3%, a mixture of inulin with cellulose by 1:1), and mannan-oligosaccharide (MOS) (400, 800, 1200 mg/kg) were investigated and nine combinations were implemented under different levels of these factors. One hundred and sixty-two weaned pigs were randomly assigned to nine dietary treatments with six replicates per treatment and three pigs per replicate. Results exhibited that different combinations of starch, NSP, and MOS affected the gain to feed (G:F) (p < 0.05), diarrhea incidence (p < 0.10), nutrient digestibility (p < 0.05), microbial communities, and short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) concentrations (p < 0.05). In the present study, taking into account three-way ANOVA, range, and direct analysis, we found that the optimal carbohydrate combination was starch AM/AP 1:1, NSP 3%, MOS 400 mg/kg for weaned pigs. Moreover, feeding this combination diet could promote the growth performance and nutrient digestibility, increase the butyrate-producing bacteria, and to some extent improve lipid metabolism. This study provided a novel way to evaluate the carbohydrate quality in swine production.
Highlights
Carbohydrates are the most abundant energy sources for pigs, accounting for 60–70% of total energy intake [1]
The G:F was higher and diarrhea incidence was lower in the T6 group compared to other groups except T3 (AM/AP 2:1, non-starch polysaccharides (NSP) 3%, and MOS 1200 mg/kg)
Taking pigs’ average daily feed intake (ADFI), G:F, and diarrhea incidence as indicators, range analysis indicated that starch in different amylose to amylopectin (AM/AP) has the greatest effect on them, and followed by NSP levels and MOS contents
Summary
Carbohydrates are the most abundant energy sources for pigs, accounting for 60–70% of total energy intake [1]. The types and structures of carbohydrates are very complicated, and exert different effects on pigs. Previous studies indicated that feeding with starch in different amylose to amylopectin (AM/AP) ratios showed noteworthy physiological responses to growth performance of pigs [2,3]. Emerging evidence reported that starch in higher AM/AP ratio increased the average daily gain and feed efficiency of finishing pigs [4,5]. Starch in higher AM/AP ratio could improve intestinal health by regulating gut microbiota, promoting intestinal morphology, and increasing intestinal functions related gene expressions [6,7]. The increase of dietary amylose caused the reduction of conditioned pathogens and induced the increase of some beneficial bacteria [8]
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