• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.574-584
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• 2019

Objective: Research was conducted to test the effect of including fiber-rich feedstuffs in practical pig diets on nutrient digestibility, nitrogen balance and ammonia emissions from slurry. Methods: Three Vietnamese fiber sources were screened, namely cassava leaf meal (CL), cassava root residue (CR), and tofu by-product (TF). Accordingly, a control diet (Con) with 10% of dietary non-starch polysaccharides (NSP) and three test diets including one of the three fiber-rich feedstuffs to reach 15% of NSP were formulated. All formulated diets had the same level of crude protein (CP), in vitro ileal protein digestible and metabolisable energy, whereas the in vitro hindgut volatile fatty acid (VFA) production of the test diets was 12% to 20% higher than the control diet. Forty growing barrows with initial body weight at $28.6{\pm}1.93kg$ ($mean{\pm}standard$ deviation) were allocated to the four treatments. When pigs reached about 50 kg of body weight, four pigs from each treatment were used for a nitrogen balance trial and ammonia emission assessment, the remaining six pigs continued the second period of the feeding trial. Results: The TF treatment increased fecal VFA by 33% as compared with the control treatment (p = 0.07), suggesting stimulation of the hindgut fermentation. However, urinary N was not significantly reduced or shifted to fecal N, nor was slurry pH decreased. Accordingly, ammonia emissions were not mitigated. CR and CL treatments failed to enhance in vivo hindgut fermentation, as assessed by fecal VFA and purine bases. On the contrary, the reduction of CP digestibility in the CL treatment enhanced ammonia emissions from slurry. Conclusion: Dietary inclusion of cassava and tofu byproducts through an increase of dietary NSP from 10% to 15% might stimulate fecal VFA excretion but this does not guarantee a reduction in ammonia emissions from slurry, while its interaction with protein digestibility even might enhance enhanced ammonia emission.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.64 no.3
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• pp.539-563
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• 2022

Nine pig farms were evaluated for the welfare quality in Korea using animal- and environment-based parameters (particularly air quality parameters) during the winter of 2013. The Welfare Quality^® (WQ^®) protocol consists of 12 criteria within four principles. The WQ^® protocol classifies farms into four categories ranging from 'excellent' to 'not classified'. Each of these criteria has specific measures for calculating scores. Calculations for the welfare scores were conducted online using the calculation model in the WQ^® protocol. Environment-based parameters like microclimate (i.e., temperature, relative humidity, air speed, and particulate matter), bacteria (total airborne bacteria, airborne total coliform, and airborne total Escherichia coli), concentration of gases (carbon dioxide, ammonia, and hydrogen sulfide) were measured to investigate the relationship between animal- and environment-based parameters. Correlations between the results of animal- and environment-based parameters were estimated using spearman correlation coefficient. The overall assessments found that five out of nine farms were 'acceptable', and four farms were 'enhanced'; no farm was 'not classified'. The average score for the four principles across the nine farms, in decreasing order, were 'good feeding' (63.13 points) > 'good housing' (59.26 points) > 'good health' (33.47 points) > 'appropriate behaviors' (25.48 points). In the result of the environment aspect, the relative humidity of farms 2 (93.4%), 3 (100%), and 9 (98%) was much higher than the recommended maximum relative humidity of 80%, and four out of the nine farms had ammonia concentrations greater than 40 ppm. Ammonia had negative correlations with 'positive social behaviors' and positive emotional states: content, enjoying, sociable, playful, lively, happy and it had positive correlations with negative emotional states: aimless, distressed. The concentration of carbon dioxide had negative correlations with positive emotional states; calm, sociable, playful, happy and it had a positive correlation with negative emotional state; aimless. Our results indicate that the control of the environment for growing pigs can help improve their welfare, particularly via good air quality (carbon dioxide, ammonia, hydrogen sulfide).

• Animal Bioscience
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• v.36 no.5
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• pp.740-752
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• 2023

Objective: Dietary phytase increases bioavailability of phytate-bound phosphorus (P) in pig nutrition affecting dietary calcium (Ca) to P ratio, intestinal uptake, and systemic utilization of both minerals, which may contribute to improper bone mineralization. We used phytase to assess long-term effects of two dietary available P (aP) levels using a one-phase feeding system on gene expression related to Ca and P homeostasis along the intestinal tract and in the kidney, short-chain fatty acids in stomach, cecum, and colon, serum, and bone parameters in growing gilts and barrows. Methods: Growing pigs (37.9±6.2 kg) had either free access to a diet without (Con; 75 gilts and 69 barrows) or with phytase (650 phytase units; n = 72/diet) for 56 days. Samples of blood, duodenal, jejunal, ileal, cecal, and colonic mucosa and digesta, kidney, and metacarpal bones were collected from 24 pigs (6 gilts and 6 barrows per diet). Results: Phytase decreased daily feed intake and average daily gain, whereas aP intake increased with phytase versus Con diet (p<0.05). Gilts had higher colonic expression of TRPV5, CDH1, CLDN4, ZO1, and OCLN and renal expression of TRPV5 and SLC34A3 compared to barrows (p<0.05). Phytase increased duodenal expression of TRPV5, TRPV6, CALB1, PMCA1b, CDH1, CLDN4, ZO1, and OCLN compared to Con diet (p<0.05). Furthermore, phytase increased expression of SCL34A2 in cecum and of FGF23 and CLDN4 in colon compared to Con diet (p<0.05). Alongside, phytase decreased gastric propionate, cecal valerate, and colonic caproate versus Con diet (p<0.05). Phytase reduced cortical wall thickness and index of metacarpal bones (p<0.05). Conclusion: Gene expression results suggested an intestinal adaptation to increased dietary aP amount by increasing duodenal trans- and paracellular Ca absorption to balance the systemically available Ca and P levels, whereas no adaption of relevant gene expression in kidney occurred. Greater average daily gain in barrows related to higher feed intake.

• Food Science of Animal Resources
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• v.44 no.1
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• pp.51-73
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• 2024

This study investigated how birth weight differences in piglets affected carcass and muscle fiber properties as well as meat quality at slaughter. Within litters, piglets were grouped according to their birth weight as either normal (NBW; 1.62-1.73 kg) or low (LBW; 1.18-1.29 kg). At 5 weeks of age, NBW piglets were randomly transitioned to control (C) or isocaloric high fat diets derived from non-dairy (HF), while LBW piglets were randomly transitioned to high fat diets derived from non-dairy (HF) or dairy sources (HFHD). Piglets were reared in individual pens under standardized housing and feeding conditions. Live weight was recorded weekly, and pigs were slaughtered at 12 weeks of age. Hot carcass weights, dressing percentages, lean meat yield, and primal cut proportions were determined. The m. longissimus thoracis was collected from the right side of the carcass for measurement of physical and chemical properties of meat and muscle fiber characteristics. Results indicated that LBW pigs compensated for their live weight compared to NBW pigs at 6 weeks of age. The mean muscle fiber diameter of LBW-HFHD group is significantly higher than NBW-C and NBW-HF group, and the type I muscle fiber diameter is significantly higher than NBW-C group. Dairy fat inclusion in LBW pig diet reduced carcass back fat thickness. This increased the calculated lean meat yield to be comparable to that of NBW pigs fed a commercial diet. Incorporating dairy-sourced high-fat into LBW pigs' diets appears to be an effective strategy for producing carcasses equivalent to NBW pigs.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.50 no.6
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• pp.819-830
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• 2008

The object of this study was to investigate different levels of extruded rice product(Nutri-RS®) supplementation as an alternative to lactose on growth performance, diarrhea score, fecal E.coli and volatile fatty acid(VFA) in weaning pigs. Treatments were 1) Control(basal), L3(basal+3% extruded rice product), L6(basal+6% extruded rice product). The control diet in Phase I and Phase II contained 16 and 9% of lactose, respectively. For the feeding trial, a total of 81 crossbred pigs, averaging 7.56±1.18 kg body weight, were allotted to three treatments in three replicates with nine pigs per pen by RCBD. The experimental period was total 5 weeks. During the whole experimental period, there were no significant differences in growth performance, diarrhea score, fecal volatile fatty acid concentration among all treatments. Although there were no significant differences, pigs fed diet of L6 tended to show higher BW and ADG, ADFI, and fecal volatile fatty acid concentration compared to other treatments. Treatment L6 showed the lowest fecal E. coli count among all treatments(P<0.05). These results suggested that inclusion of extruded rice product has similar performance a with 6% of lactose in diet for weaning pigs and reduce approximately 9% production cost of weaning pig's diet. Therefore, extruded rice product could be utilized as an alternative feed ingredient to lactose in weaning pig’s diet.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.45 no.5
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• pp.767-776
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• 2003

An experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of dietary herbal product(Miracle$^{\circledR}$) supplementation on the performance, nutrient digestibility, fecal microflora and blood parameters in pigs. Forty eight cross bred(Y${\times}$L${\times}$D) weanling pigs (average initial body weight 7.84kg${\pm}$0.17, 28 d old) were used in 35 d feeding trial. Pigs were allotted to 16 raised floor cages(W 35.5cm${\times}$L45cm${\times}$H 55cm). Each treatment had four replications of 3 pigs each. Treatments were: control (T1), CTC 100ppm (T2), Miracle$^{\circledR}$ 0.15% (T3) and CTC 100ppm + Miracle$^{\circledR}$ 0.15% (T4). The herbal product supplementation(T3) tended to improve the weight gain, feed intake, feed/gain but there were no significant differences among treatments. Nutrient digestibility was significantly(P〈0.05) affected by dietary treatments. The pigs fed T3 diet showed the lowest digestibility of DM, crude protein, NFE, P, and amino acids among treatments. Serum cholesterol level of pigs fed T3 diet was lowest and significantly(P〈0.05) lower than those fed antibiotic supplemented diet(T2). Triglyceride and HDL level of the pigs fed T3 diet were also lower than those of others but the differences were not significant. The level of serum IgG was significantly(P〈0.05) different among treatments. The level of serum IgG was highest in T4, followed by T1, T2 and T3. Serum AST(Aspartate aminotransferase) level of the control(T1) was lower than other treatments. Levels of serum total protein, albumin and ALT(Alanine aminotransferase) were not significantly different among treatments. The colony forming units (CFU) of Lactobacillus, Cl. perfringens and E.coli in feces were not significantly different among treatments but those of Cl. perfringens of T2 (CTC 100ppm) showed the lowest count at both 3rd and 5th wk. It is concluded that herbal product Miracle$^{\circledR}$ does not significantly affect growth performance of weanling pigs but it influenced the digestibility, serum IgG, cholesterol and AST level. The combination of the herbal product Miracle$^{\circledR}$ with antibiotic(CTC) showed no synergistic effects.

• Journal of Animal Environmental Science
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.35-44
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• 2007

The effects of microbial feedstuff additives on feed conversion rate and physical and chemical characteristics of excreta in growing pigs were investigated. Three different products (A, B and C) were compared. Microbial population tests showed B contained higher numbers of total bacteria, Lactobacillus spp. and yeasts. The amylase activity of B was also higher than that of A and C. The daily feed intake rates fer control, A, B and C were 2.06, 2.13, 2.17 and 2.34 kg, respectively. Pigs feed product C had the highest liveweight gain(2.89 kg). However, the results of feed conversion rate were not significantly different between treatments. Amount of faces excreted for control, A, B and C was 1.18, 1,19, 1.23 and 1.32 kg, respectively. Urine volume for control, A, B, and C was 1.91, 1.80, 2.19 and 2.31 kg respectively. Moisture content, T-N, $P_2O_5$ and $K_2O$ in pig manure were not significantly different between treatments. The range of BOD values was 63,453 to $73,758mg/\ell$ for faeces, and 5,678 to $7,428mg/\ell$, for urine. SS values of solid and liquid excreta ranged from 142,200 to 176,000 and from 710 to $1,025mg/\ell$, respectively.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.50 no.5
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• pp.687-694
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• 2008

This study was conducted to investigate effects of dietary supplementation of lysine and leucine on growth performance and meat quality parameters in finishing pigs. The experiment was designed using lysine levels(0.45%, 0.75%) and leucine levels(1.0%, 2.0%, 3.0%) according to 2×3 factorial design. A total of thirty-six pigs[(Landrace×Yorkshire)×Duroc] with an average initial weight of 75.5±2kg were allotted to one of the six dietary treatments. Each treatment had three replications of two pigs per replicate. No difference was found in average daily gain(P>0.05), while feed intake and feed/gain were higher in 0.45% of lysine treatments than in 0.75% of lysine treatments(P<0.05). Retail lean meat percentage was lower in 0.45% of lysine treatments than in 0.75% of lysine treatments(P<0.05), but there were no differences in other carcass characteristics(P>0.05). Marbling score was significantly increased(P<0.05) in 0.45% of lysine treatments compared to 0.75% of lysine treatments, while other meat quality parameters were not affected by lysine levels(P>0.05). Supplemental dietary leucine had no effect on growth performance, carcass characteristics, and meat quality parameters(P>0.05) except that Hunter b* value were increased with added levels of leucine(P<0.05). In conclusion, feeding of lysine-deficient diets in finishing pigs improved marbling scores of pork. Feeding diets high in leucine, however, did not increase intramuscular fat or marbling scores.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
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• v.41 no.3
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• pp.213-220
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• 2014

This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of high n-3 or n-6 diet on free fatty acid profile and meat quality traits of pork loin. The 20 heads of commercial $Landrace{\times}Yorkshire{\times}Duroc(LYD)$ crossbreed pigs ($90.9{\pm}2.4BWkg$) were divided into four groups by added fat and oils, such as 5% tallow (Control), 5% linseed oil (T1), 5% safflower oil (T2), and mixture of linseed oil (2.5%) + safflower oil (2.5%) (T3), then reared 4 weeks. Pork loins were taken after slaughter, then sliced in 2 cm thickness and put in low-density polyethylene (LDPE) bag for analysis. T1 showed significantly high concentration of linolenic acid ($2.35{\pm}0.21%$) (p<0.05). The total amount of saturated fatty acids (SFA), mono-unsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) and poly-unsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) was significantly high in T1 ($36.05{\pm}1.18%$), C ($22.60{\pm}2.11%$) and T2 ($47.80{\pm}1.29%$), respectively (p<0.05). However, the ratio of n-6:n-3 was significantly low in T1 ($11.57{\pm}0.90$) than that of T2 ($37.56{\pm}12.51$) (p<0.05). There was no signigicant difference in lightness, redness, pH, water holding capacity and cooking loss between treatments (p>0.05). However, the yellowness of T2 was significantly higher than others (p<0.05). From those results, it was considered that feeding high n-3 and n-6 fatty acid diet to pig enables modify fatty acid profile of pork without any side effect on meat quality.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.52 no.2
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• pp.103-110
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• 2010

This study was conducted to determine the effect of supplemental medicinal plants (Artemisia, Acanthopanx and Garlic) on productive parameters in pigs. In experiment 1, a total of 90 multiparous sows were used in a 21-d performance study. The diets included: 1) CON (basal diet; Control), 2) BM1 (CON + 0.1% medicinal plants) and 3) BM2 (CON + 0.2% medicinal plants). Backfat thickness from farrowing to weaning was higher (P<0.05) in CON compared with sows fed treatments diets. The piglets weight gain was higher in the medicinal plants treatments (P<0.05). ADFI, nutrient digestibility and survivability were not affected by the experimental treatments. In experiment 2, a total of 60 finishing pigs (Landrace ${\times}$ Yorkshire ${\times}$ Duroc, $65.21\;{\pm}\;0.04\;kg$ average initial body weight) were used in a 56-d performance assay to determine the effects of supplemental medicinal plants (Artemisia, Acanthopanx and Garlic) on growth performance and carcass characteristics in finishing pigs. The dietary treatments included: 1) CON (basal diet ; Control), 2) BM1 (CON + 0.1% medicinal plants) and 3) BM2 (CON + 0.2% medicinal plants). For 4~8 weeks and overall period, ADG was higher (P<0.05) in the pigs fed medicinal plants. CON treatment was higher 24 pH loin and cooking loss than BM1 treatment (P<0.05). Water holding capacity and drip loss after 1day were affected by the dietary treatments (P<0.05). No numerical differences were observed in sensory evaluation, meat color, TBARS and loin area among three treatments. In conclusion, the results obtained from this feeding trial suggest that the medicinal plants mixture supplementation in diets for finishing pigs can improve ADG, water holding capacity, cooking loss and it improved backfat loss in sow and, litter weight gain.