Effects of Dietary Buffering Characteristics and Protected or Unprotected Acids on Piglet Growth, Digestibility and Characteristics of Gut Content

• Published in: Asian-australasian journal of animal sciences Vol. 12; no. 7; pp. 1104 - 1110
• Main Authors: Bosi, P, Jung, H.J, Han, In K, Perini, S, Cacciavillani, J.A, Casini, L, Creston, D, Gremokolini, C, Mattuzzi, S
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Korean
• Published: 1999
• Subjects: E; Buffering Capacity; Organic Acid; coli; Piglets; Digestibility; Lactobacillus
• ISSN: 1011-2367; 1976-5517

We condicted two experiments to evaluate the interaction among fumaric acid (FA), protected acids (PA), or no additional acid (NO) and two different levels of acid buffering capacity (BC) in diets for 14-d-old weaned pigs. BC was varied substituting mono-calcium phosphate and calcium sulfate for dicalcium phosphate and calcium carbonate. In the high BC diet plus PA, FA was also added. In Exp. 1, 48 gilts were raised for 31 days on the six diets, evaluating growth performance and fecal digestibility. In Exp. 2, 42 gilts were raised. With each diet three subjects were sacrificed after 19 days and four after 38 days. In addition, six subjects were sacrificed at weaning. Growth and carcass performance, ileal digestibility, bacterial populations and pH in the gut were assessed. The piglet performance and stomach, ileal and cecal pH, and empty body composition were not affected by the diets. Empty body composition other than ash content was affected by piglet age (p<0.01). The BC did not influence digestibility. The dietary inclusion of PA improved fecal digestibility of protein (p<0.05) compared to the addition of FA and NO. Ileal digestibility slightly increased with both acid additions (p<0.10), the groups receiving PA showing the higher values. Piglets fed diets with low BC had lower Lactobacillus and E. coli counts in the ileum (p=0.07) and higher Lactobacillus in the colon (p=0.08). Acidified diets tended to reduce E. coli counts in the ileum (p=0.10) and increased Lactobacillus in the colon (p=0.09). The addition in the diet of PA increased Lactobacillus in the ileum compared to the sole addition of free fumaric acid (p=0.07). The addition of protected acids, combined with free fumaric acid in the case of high BC diets, increased protein digestibility and Lactobacillus counts and reduced E.coli counts. Only some changes in the concentration of bacterial population can be expected with a diet of low BC.