ISSUE FOCUS 38 FEED & ADDITIVE MAGAZINE November 2024 On day 42 of the trial, blood samples were collected and analysed for 10 piglets per treatment. This analysis showed significantly higher immunoglobulin A (IgA) levels and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, and significantly lower TNF-α levels (P<0.05) for the probiotic supplemented group (Figure 3). Improved IgA levels indicate a better immune response, since IgA functions as antibody involved in the protection of mucous membranes. The higher SOD activity indicated an improved antioxidant status since SOD is an enzyme involved in catalysing the conversion of oxygen radicals into non-radical species. TNF-α is a pro-inflammatory cytokine and lower levels indicate reduced inflammation and inflammation-induced damage. In conclusion, it can be stated that the inclusion of a probiotic in the feed can improve gut health and immunity of weaning piglets. Lower pathogen pressure and better immune -and antioxidant status result in improved growth. This will provide the piglets with a healthy start to sustain good growth and development also later in life. THREE COMPLEMENTARY FEED SOLUTION AREAS FOR ROBUST PIGLETS When considering the challenging period of early life in piglets, good nutrition plays a key role to optimize health and performance. Nutrition should go further than just meeting the nutrient requirements and should be focussed on providing solutions for the industry. Different types of solutions can be implemented in the form of feed additives. There are three feed solution areas that have been shown to be essential as part of the solution to increase resilience in piglets. Mineral nutrition, especially with a focus on selenium, is key towards improving robustness. Not only the dosage is important, but also the source of selenium should be considered, where L-selenomethionine is shown to give the best results. Another feed solution area of interest for piglets is feed efficiency. Due to ongoing changes of the gastrointestinal tract, it is essential to support digestion and absorption of nutrients. This can be achieved by inclusion of a high-quality nutritional emulsifier. Finally, gut health and immunity solutions contribute to reducing the problem of postweaning diarrhoea and pathogen pressure. Here, probiotics can improve the intestinal health and immune response, which supports a healthy growth and development. Overall, feed additives can support the industry to face challenges associated with the reduction of antibiotics and high copper or zinc oxide in young animals. a b 180 190 200 210 220 230 240 250 pg/ml TNF-α a b 92 94 96 98 100 102 104 106 108 U/ml SOD a b 0,28 0,29 0,3 0,31 0,32 0,33 0,34 0,35 0,36 0,37 0,38 mg/ml IgA Control Probiotic Figure 3. Results blood analysis for markers of inflammation (TNF-α), oxidative stress (SOD) and immunity (IgA) in the probiotic or basal diet
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTUxNjkxNQ==