• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.387-394
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• 2019

Objective: This study was to investigate the nutrient ileal digestibility of dried mealworm (Tenebrio molitor) larvae and compare with those of three animal protein by-products in growing pigs. Methods: A total of 12 crossbred ($[Landrace{\times}Yorkshire]{\times}Duroc$) growing pigs with average body weights of $24.12{\pm}0.68kg$ were surgically equipped with simple T-cannulas after being deprived of feed for 24 h according to published surgical procedures. These pigs had a recovery period of two weeks. A total of 12 pigs were assigned to individual metabolic crates and allotted to one of four treatments with 3 replicates in a fully randomized design. Dietary treatments included the following: i) Fish meal, corn-vegetable by-product basal diet+9.95% fish meal; ii) Meat meal, corn-vegetable by-product basal diet+9.95% meat meal; iii) Poultry meal, cornvegetable by-product basal diet+9.95% poultry meal; iv) Tenebrio molitor, corn-vegetable by-product basal diet+9.95% dried Tenebrio molitor larvae. Results: Results showed that the apparent ileal digestibility (AID) of Lys was higher (p<0.05) in pigs fed Tenebrio molitor diet than that in pigs fed fish meal diet. Pigs fed Tenebrio molitor diet showed increased (p<0.05) AID of His and Arg compared to pigs fed Fish meal or Meat meal diet. The AID of Cys was increased (p<0.05) in pigs fed poultry meal and Tenebrio molitor diets compared to that in pigs fish meal diet. Pigs fed meat meal, poultry meal, and Tenebrio molitor diets showed higher (p<0.05) standardized ileal digestibility (SID) of total energy compared to pigs fed fish meal diet. The SID of Arg was higher (p<0.05) in pigs fed Tenebrio molitor diet than that in pigs fed fish meal or meat meal diet. Furthermore, pigs fed poultry meal or Tenebrio molitor diets showed increased (p<0.05) SID of Cys compared to pigs fed fish meal diet. Conclusion: In conclusion, providing pigs with diets that contained Tenebrio molitor larvae meal improved AID and SID of nutrients as well as essential and non-essential amino acids. The digestibility of dried mealworm larvae protein and its utilization in vivo are also good. Therefore, dried mealworm larvae protein can be used as protein source at 10% level in growing pigs.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.22 no.10
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• pp.1414-1419
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• 2009

The study was conducted to evaluate the effects of trivalent chromium from different sources on growth, carcass composition, and serum parameters in finishing pigs. Ninety-six crossbred pigs with an initial average body weight of 65.57${\pm}$1.05 kg were blocked by body weight and randomly assigned to four treatments with three replicates. Pigs were offered one of four diets including a control diet or the control diet supplemented with 200 ${\mu}g/kg$ chromium from either chromium chloride ($CrCl_{3}$), chromium picolinate (CrPic) or chromium nanocomposite (CrNano) for 40 days. After completion of the feeding trial, eight pigs from each treatment were selected to collect blood samples, and slaughtered to measure carcass composition. The results showed that supplemental chromium had no significant effect on growth performance, while CrNano increased carcass lean proportion and loin Longissimus muscle area (p<0.05), and decreased carcass fat proportion and 10th rib backfat depth (p<0.05). CrPic supplementation also resulted in lower fat proportion and larger Longissimus muscle area (p<0.05). The addition of Cr from CrNano or CrPic decreased serum glucose (p<0.05) and increased concentrations of total protein and free fat acid in serum (p<0.05). Serum urea nitrogen, triglyceride and cholesterol were decreased (p<0.05), and serum high density lipoprotein and lipase activity were increased (p<0.05) with the supplementation of CrNano. Serum insulin was decreased (p<0.05) by supplemental Cr from CrNano or CrPic, and serum insulin-like growth factor I was increased significantly in the CrNano treated group. These results suggest that chromium nanocomposite has higher efficacy on carcass composition in pigs compared to the traditional chromium sources.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.29 no.5
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• pp.689-694
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• 2016

The objective of the current study was to evaluate the effect of supplementation of either L-methionine (L-Met) or DL-methionine (DL-Met) to diets of starter pigs on nitrogen (N) balance, metabolism, and serum amino acid profile. Eighteen crossbred ($Duroc{\times}Landrace{\times}Yorkshire$) barrows weighing $15.45{\pm}0.88kg$ were randomly allotted to 1 of 3 diets with 6 pigs per treatment. The diets included a basal diet (Met-deficient diet) containing 0.24% standardized ileal digestibility Met with all other essential nutrients meeting the pig's requirements. The other two diets were produced by supplementing the basal diet with 0.12% DL-Met or L-Met. The experiment lasted for 18 days, consisting of a 13-day adaptation period to the diets followed by a 5-day experimental period. Pigs were fed ad libitum and free access to water throughout the experiment. Results showed that the supplementation of either L-Met or DL-Met improved N retention, and serum methionine concentration, and decreased N excretion compared with basal diet (p<0.01). The N retention of pigs fed diets supplemented with the same inclusion levels of DL-Met or L-Met were not different (p>0.05). In conclusion, on equimolar basis DL-Met and L-Met are equally bioavailable as Met sources for starter pigs.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.131-139
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• 2014

This study was performed to determine the effect of dietary supplementation of procyanidin on growth performance, blood characteristics, and immune function in growing pigs. In experiment 1 (Exp. 1), thirty-two crossbred pigs with an initial BW of $19.2{\pm}0.3$ kg were allocated into 4 treatments for an 8-wk experiment: i) CON (basal diet), ii) MOS 0.1 (basal diet+0.1% mannanoligosaccharide), iii) Pro-1 (basal diet+0.01% procyanidin), and iv) Pro-2 (basal diet+0.02% procyanidin). Pigs fed Pro-1 and Pro-2 diets had greater (p<0.05) gain:feed ratio compared with those fed CON or MOS 0.1 diets. Serum creatinine concentration was less (p<0.05) in Pro-2 treatment than those in CON, MOS 0.1 and Pro-1 treatments. In Exp. 2, twelve pigs (BW $13.4{\pm}1.3$ kg) received basal diet with i) 0 (CON), ii) 0.02% (Pro-0.02%), and iii) 0.04% procyanidin (Pro-0.04%) for 4 wk. Concentration of platelets was lower (p<0.05) in the Pro-0.04% group compared to CON at 24 h after lipopolysaccharide (LPS) challenge. In addition, secretion of cytokines from cultured peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) in the presence or absence of procyanidin was examined. The levels of interleukin (IL)-$1{\beta}$, IL-6 and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-${\alpha}$ were lower (p<0.05) in Pro (LPS-stimulated PBMCs+procyanidin) than those in CON (LPS-stimulated PBMCs+PBS) at 4 h after LPS challenge. These data suggest that dietary addition of procyanidin improves feed efficiency and anti-inflammatory cytokines of pigs.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.26 no.11
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• pp.1614-1621
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• 2013

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of graded levels of montmorillonite, a constituent of clay, on performance, hematological parameters and bone mineralization in weaned pigs. One hundred and twenty, 35-d-old crossbred pigs (Duroc${\times}$Large White${\times}$Landrace, $10.50{\pm}1.20$ kg) were used in a 28-d experiment and fed either an unsupplemented corn-soybean meal basal diet or similar diets supplemented with 0.5, 1.0, 2.5 or 5.0% montmorillonite added at the expense of wheat bran. Each treatment was replicated six times with four pigs (two barrows and two gilts) per replicate. Feed intake declined (linear and quadratic effect, p<0.01) with increasing level of montmorillonite while feed conversion was improved (linear and quadratic effect, p<0.01). Daily gain was unaffected by dietary treatment. Plasma myeloperoxidase declined linearly (p = 0.03) with increasing dietary level of montmorillonite. Plasma malondialdehyde and nitric oxide levels were quadratically affected (p<0.01) by montmorillonite with increases observed for pigs fed the 0.5 and 1.0% levels which then declined for pigs fed the 2.5 and 5.0% treatments. In bone, the content of potassium, sodium, copper, iron, manganese and magnesium were decreased (linear and quadratic effect, p<0.01) in response to an increase of dietary montmorillonite. These results suggest that dietary inclusion of montmorillonite at levels as high as 5.0% does not result in overt toxicity but could induce potential oxidative damage and reduce bone mineralization in pigs.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.82-87
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• 2001

A feeding trial was conducted to evaluate the effects of replacing fish meal (FM) with ensiled shrimp by-product (ESB) in a cassava root meal and rice bran-based diet on the performance and carcass characteristics of growing pigs. Thirty six crossbred (Large White$\times$Mong Cai) pigs, with an average initial BW of 19.4 kg, were randomly allocated to one of three different dietary treatments in which the crude protein of the FM was replaced with 0, 50 or 100% ESB. The animals were fed restrictedly and at the end of the experiment at a BW of about 90 kg, 6 representative animals in each treatment group were slaughtered for carcass quality evaluation. Animal growth performance and daily feed intake were significantly reduced (p<0.05) by the inclusion of shrimp by-products in the diets, whereas feed conversion ratios and carcass measurements were not significantly affected (p>0.05). Daily weight gains of the pigs fed the 100% FM diet and 50% ESB diet were significantly (p<0.05) higher than those of pigs fed the 100% ESB diet. In conclusion, from an economical as well as performance point of view, ESB can replace 50% of the crude protein of FM in cassava root meal and rice bran-based diets for growing pigs with a low genetic growth potential.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.18 no.10
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• pp.1451-1456
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• 2005

To study the acute effect of dietary docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, $C_{22:6}$) on the expression of adipocyte determination and differentiation-dependent factor 1 (ADD1) mRNA in pig tissues, weaned, crossbred pigs (28 d of age) were fed with either 10% (on as-fed basis) tallow (high stearic acid), soybean oil (high linoleic acid), or high DHA algal oil for 2 d. The plasma and liver DHA reflected the composition of the diet. The adipose tissue and skeletal muscle DHA did not reflect the diet in the short term feeding. The results also showed that the diet containing 10% algal DHA oil significantly decreased the total plasma cholesterol (39%) and triacylglycerol (TG; 46%) in the pigs. Soybean oil significantly decreased plasma TG (13.7%; p<0.05), but did not have an effect on plasma cholesterol. The data indicate that different dietary fatty acid compositions have different effects on plasma lipids. The ADD1 mRNA was decreased (p<0.05) in the liver of DHA oil-treated pigs compared with the tallow-treated pigs. The diets did not have significant effect on the ADD1 mRNA in adipose tissue. Addition of algal DHA oil in the diet increased acyl CoA oxidase (ACO) mRNA concentration in the liver, suggesting that dietary DHA treatment increases peroxisomal fatty acid oxidation in the liver. However, dietary soybean oil supplementation did not affect mRNA concentrations of ADD1 or ACO in the tissues of pigs. Because ADD1 increases the expression of genes associated with lipogenesis, and ACO is able to promote fatty acid oxidation, feeding DHA oil may change the utilization of fatty acids through changing the expression of ADD1 and ACO. Therefore, feeding pigs with high DHA may lead to lower body fat deposition.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.411-416
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• 1999

Ninety-six, 35 day old, crossbred pigs, were fed either a basal diet based on com, soybean meal, fish meal and whey or one of three similar diets supplemented with either 0.5% organic acid or enzyme both alone and in combination. Neither organic acid nor enzyme produced any significant (p<0.05) improvements in daily gain or feed conversion. Organic acid, both alone and in combination with enzyme, significantly (p=0.04) decreased the pH in the lower colon. None of the treatments produced any effects on E. Coli or Lactobacillus numbers in any part of the gastrointestinal tract. Feeding enzyme increased trypsin (p=0.01), chymotrypsin (p=0.03) and amylase (p=0.08) levels in the jejunum. Chymotrypsin levels were higher (p=0.04) in the ileum of pigs fed enzyme. Serum glucose levels were lower (p=0.01) on day 14 in pigs fed enzyme either alone or in combination with acid. Under the conditions of this experiment (10% dietary whey, pigs weaned at 35 days of age), neither organic acid nor enzyme were effective in improving starter pig performance. Therefore, there would appear to be little justification for the routine inclusion of these products in diets fed to pigs weaned at 35 days or later.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.270-276
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• 2008

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effects of exogenous non-starch polysaccharides (NSP) enzymes on performance, intestinal content viscosity and digestive enzyme activities of growing pigs fed a rough rice-based diet. A total of 60 crossbred barrows with an initial body weight of 35.16 kg (SD = 0.82) were blocked by body weight and randomly assigned to two treatments with three replications. Each group was fed the diet based on rice with or without exogenous NSP enzymes (2 g/kg of diet). During the 70 days of the feeding trial, all pigs were given free access to feed and water. At the end of the feeding trial, six pigs from each treatment were randomly selected and slaughtered to collect intestinal digesta, intestinal mucosa, and pancreas. The addition of NSP enzymes improved average daily gain (p<0.05) and feed:gain (p<0.05), and decreased viscosity of digesta in the jejunum (p<0.001) and ileum (p<0.01) of pigs. The supplementation of NSP enzymes increased activities of protease (p<0.01), trypsin (p<0.01) and ${\alpha}$-amylase (p<0.05) in duodenal contents. However, digestive enzymes in the pancreas, jejunal and ileal mucosa were unaffected by the supplemental NSP enzymes (p>0.10). The results indicate that the addition of NSP enzymes to rough rice-based diets improved performance of pigs, reduced viscosity and increased digestive activity in the small intestine.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.11 no.6
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• pp.725-731
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• 1998

Nine crossbred female pigs fitted with the bladder catheters were used to investigate the effects of dietary protein form on the efficiency of absorbed nitrogen for nitrogen retention in growing pigs. Combinations of the main protein sources were corn-soybean meal (CSM; slow + slow absorption rate form), corn-hydrolyzed casein (CAS; slow + rapid absorption rate form) and corn-porcine plasma (CPL; slow + intermediate absorption rate form). All experimental diets were formulated to be isonitrogenous (CP 11%) and isocaloric (3.5 Mcal/kg) and synthetic amino acids were added to the diet as required to maintain an equivalent amino acid profile among diets. Fecal digestibility of nitrogen was not different among treatments (p > 0.10). Ingested nitrogen was absorbed with an apparent efficiency of 82% to 84%. Mean nitrogen retention in pigs fed the CSM diet was as high as for pigs fed the CPL diet (0.74 g N/kg $BW^{0.75}$ per d), which was higher than the N retention rate in pigs fed CAS diet (0.68 g/kg $BW^{0.75}$ per d; P < 0.05). Apparent biological values (ABV = 100 ${\times}$ N retention/absorbed nitrogen) were 63.3%, 58.0% and 61.6% for CSM, CAS, and CPL groups, respectively (p < 0.05). There was no difference in mean energy digestibility among treatments. The efficiency of absorbed lysine utilization was significantly different among treatments (p < 0.05). Pigs fed the CAS diet were inferior to counterparts on the other diets in utilizing absorbed lysine. The ratios of free (and small peptide-bound) to protein-bound amino acids in CSM diet differed considerably from the CAS diet. This may affect the efficiency of amino acids utilization for nitrogen retention if hydrolyzed and intact amino acid pools reach the blood at different times.