ISSUE FOCUS FEED & ADDITIVE MAGAZINE February 2023 21 However, several parameters are impacting fat digestion, such as the level of fat inclusion, fat characteristics (e.g. ratio unsaturated/saturated fatty acids), diet (e.g. particle size) and physiology of the animal (e.g. age). For instance, gut health is an important factor that can impact bile salts and reduce their efficiency. This can be the case in young piglets which have a non-optimal intestinal environment. At weaning, when transitioning from liquid to solid feed, their digestive system is not fully developed and adapted, so digestion and absorption of nutrients like fats can be limited. At this stage, the use of a nutritional emulsifier can complement the action of bile salts. A nutritional emulsifier improves the emulsification of the fat globules in the gastro-intestinal tract, further enhancing the digestibility of fat and efficiency of energy (Figure 1). DIET REFORMULATION AND DIGESTIBILITY By optimizing fat digestion, nutritional emulsifiers improve nutrients’ digestibility and energy efficiency. This is why they are already used in different animal species and different types of diets, with different fat/oil sources and levels. Use of nutritional emulsifiers can be explained by the flexibility in the types of inclusion in feed. Nutritional emulsifiers can be used on-top of the initial diet or in energy diluted diets. On-top application will result in improved feed efficiency and performance, due to the better use of energy for growth and milk production. To reduce feed cost, nutritional emulsifiers can also be used in energy diluted diets. Lower fat inclusion will be compensated by a higher digestibility and absorption of sources which are high in energy. Reformulation can be done by determining matrix values and the energy upgrade of the additive, and including the nutritional emulsifier in a classical feed formulation tool, as an ingredient. Both strategies were tested in a recent Brazilian trial, coordinated by the University of Sao Paulo. In total, 116 lactating sows were followed for 26 days, from 5 days before farrowing to weaning of their piglets. The sows were divided into three groups. A control group, on a basal diet. A second group on an energy reduced diet, which received the basal diet with a reduction of metabolizable energy by 50 kcal/kg feed and the inclusion of a nutritional emulsifier (Excential Energy Plus, Orffa Additives BV). The third group received the basal diet with the same nutritional emulsifier on-top. In total, the trial followed 1596 born piglets and 1451 weaned Figure 1. Fat digestion and mode of action of nutritional emulsifiers.
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