ISSUE FOCUS 28 FEED & ADDITIVE MAGAZINE January 2024 antimicrobial effect and may help protect gut function against the colonization of pathogenic bacteria. Piglets on the supplemented diets also demonstrated an increased indole-3-propionic acid (IPA) level in plasma compared to control group pigs. The boost to IPA production helps support gut barrier function and indicates a more mature microbiota. IPA and other metabolites also help regulate gut barrier function. At the intestinal level, piglets receiving the supplemented feeds showed a higher abundance of Lactobacillus in the small intestine. These bacteria help with the fermentation of tryptophan into IPA, again supporting gut barrier function. Along with the increased amount of Lactobacillus bacteria, there also was a decline in variation of opportunistic bacterial species not typically native to the gut, suggesting a more stable microbiota population had been established. This shift in bacterial population likely stemmed from a change in conditions that supported the growth of Lactobacillus, allowing it to outcompete other bacteria. Multiple elements were tracked during the study not just cholic acid, choline, taurine and IPA levels. Figure 2. Supporting gut health and development may have allowed piglets to get more nutrition from the same amount of feed as control group pigs.
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