• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.32 no.11
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• pp.1734-1744
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• 2019

Objective: In this study, two glycosidases (XMosidases), ${\beta}$-xylosidase and ${\beta}$-mannosidase, were investigated on their in vitro hydrolysis activities of feed and on the improvement of growth performance in vivo in weanling pigs. Methods: Enzyme activities of XMosidases in vitro were evaluated in test tubes and simulation of gastric and small intestinal digestion, respectively, in the presence of NSPase. In vivo study was performed in 108 weaned piglets in a 28-d treatment. Pigs were allotted to one of three dietary treatments with six replicate pens in each treatment. The three treatment groups were as follows: i) Control (basal diet); ii) CE (basal diets+CE); iii) CE-Xmosidases (basal diets+ CE+${\beta}$-xylosidase at 800 U/kg and ${\beta}$-mannosidase at 40 U/kg). CE was complex enzymes (amylase, protease, xylanase, and mannanase). Results: In vitro XMosidases displayed significant activities on hydrolysis of corn and soybean meal in the presence of non-starch polysaccharide degrading enzymes (xylanase and ${\beta}$-mannanase). In vitro simulation of gastric and small intestinal digestion by XMosidases showed XMosidases achieved $67.89%{\pm}0.22%$ of dry matter digestibility and $63.12%{\pm}0.21%$ of energy digestibility at $40^{\circ}C$ for 5 hrs. In weanling pigs, additional XMosidases to CE in feed improved average daily gain, feed conversion rate (p<0.05), and apparent total tract digestibility of crude protein (p = 0.01) and dry matter (p = 0.02). XMosidases also altered the gut bacterial diversity and composition by increasing the proportion of beneficial bacteria. Conclusion: Addition of a complex enzyme supplementation (contained xylanase, ${\beta}$-mannanase, protease and amylase), XMosidases (${\beta}$-xylosidase and ${\beta}$-mannosidase) can further improve the growth performance and nutrient digestion of young pigs.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.21 no.6
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• pp.861-867
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• 2008

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of exogenous ghrelin on the behaviors, weight gain, and feed intakes of weanling piglets. A total of 25 pairs of Duroc$\times$Landrace$\times$Large White piglets weaned at 21 days of age were used in this experiment which finished on day 36. Each pair of healthy piglets from the same litter with similar body weight and of the same gender were selected and randomly arranged to ghrelin or control groups. Thus, there were 50 piglets (ghrelin 25; control 25) kept in 10 pens (ghrelin 5; control 5) and 5 piglets per pen. Initial body weight of the pigs did not differ between the control and ghrelin treatment ($7.43{\pm}0.17kg$; p = 0.81). Experimental pigs were infused with ghrelin ($1{\mu}g/d$ pig) via the marginal ear vein between 0750 and 0800 h at 22, 23, 24 days of age. Control pigs were infused with 0.9% saline. Feed consumption was measured on days 23, 24, 25, 29 and 36. Body weight was measured on days 22, 23, 24, 25, 29 and 36. Behavior data of individual piglets were collected by real-time observation from 0800-1500 h through remote supervisory equipment at 22, 23 and 24 days of age. The results indicated that ghrelin infusion could increase drinking (p<0.05) and lying behaviors (p<0.01) and decrease mounting behaviors (p<0.05). No significant influence of ghrelin was found on average daily weight gain (ADG) and average daily feed intake (ADFI) in this experiment (p>0.05). In conclusion, exogenous ghrelin by the method above and at the dosage of $1{\mu}g/d$ pig could cause a variety of behavioral effects, but not improve performance of weanling piglets.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.14 no.12
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• pp.1734-1740
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• 2001

Feeding trials using weanling pigs and broiler chicks were conducted to evaluate the efficacy of different metal-amino acid chelates and complexes at various levels of copper and zinc on the performance and fecal excretions. A total of 200 weanling pigs (Large White ${\times}$ Yorkshire ${\times}$ Duroc, $11.20{\pm}0.81kg$) were randomly assigned to 5 dietary treatments following a randomized complete block design. Each treatment was replicated 4 times with 10 pigs per pen. The dietary treatments were designated as : A-diet containing 170 ppm Cu from $CuSO_4$ and 120 ppm Zn from $ZnSO_4$, B-diet containing 85 ppm Cu from Cu-amino acid chelate (CAC) and 60 ppm Zn from Zn-amino acid chelate (ZAC), C-diet containing 170 ppm Cu from CAC and 120 ppm Zn from ZAC, D-diet containing 85 ppm Cu from Cu-lysine complex (CL) and 60 ppm Zn from Zn-methionine complex (ZM), and E-diet containing 170 ppm Cu from CL and 120 ppm Zn from ZM. On the other trial, 144 of one day old broiler chicks were randomly distributed to 6 dietary treatments following a completely randomized design. Each treatment was replicated 3 times with 8 chicks per replicate. The dietary treatments were as follows: 1-diet with 60 ppm Cu from $CuSO_4$ and 40 ppm Zn from $ZnSO_4$, 2-diet with 120 ppm Cu from $CuSO_4$ and 80 ppm Zn from $ZnSO_4$, 3-diet with 60 ppm Cu from CAC and 40 ppm Zn from ZAC, 4-diet with 120 ppm Cu from CAC and 80 ppm Zn from ZAC, 5-diet with 60 ppm Cu from CL and 40 ppm Zn from ZM, and 6-diet with 120 ppm Cu from CL and 80 ppm Zn from ZM. In Exp. 1 with pigs, there was no difference on average daily gain and average daily feed intake observed among treatments. There was improvement (p<0.05) on the overall feed conversion ratio (FCR) of pigs fed diet containing 120 ppm Zn and 170 ppm Cu from metal-amino acid chelates relative to those fed diet containing inorganic sources of Cu and Zn but equally efficient as those fed diet containing metal-amino acid complexes. Pigs fed diet containing either metal-amino acid chelates or complexes as sources of Cu and Zn had higher (p<0.05) Cu and Zn concentration in serum and lower (p<0.05) in feces than those receiving diet with inorganic sources. In Exp. 2 with broiler chicks, the overall FCR was not different among treatments. Higher (p<0.05) Cu and Zn concentration in serum was obtained from birds fed diet with 60 ppm Cu and 40 ppm Zn from metal-amino acid chelates compared to those fed diet with inorganic sources of Cu and Zn. Also, the feces collected from birds fed diet with either metal-amino acid chelates or complexes contained generally lower Cu and Zn than those birds fed diet with inorganic sources. The higher the dietary level of Cu and Zn the higher the Cu and Zn concentration in the feces. Based on the results, both metal-amino acid chelates and complexes of Cu and Zn at low levels (Zn 60 ppm, Cu 85 ppm for weanling pigs and Zn 40 ppm, Cu 60 ppm for broiler chicks) are not different from that of high levels of inorganic sources in maintaining growth performance and serum concentration. The fecal excretions for Cu and Zn were greatly reduced when organic sources were used.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.13 no.11
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• pp.1499-1507
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• 2000

This trial was to compare the digestive function of laboratory animals, which included omnivores (rats) and herbivores (rabbits, guinea pigs and hamsters). Ten weanling rats, rabbits, guinea pigs and hamster were randomly allocated in individual metabolic cages for a performance and a digestibility trial. Results showed that guinea pigs were significantly best in digestion of dietary crude protein and fiber. Rabbits, however, had the poorest nutrient digestion among the herbivores. Crude fiber digested significantly less by rats than by the herbivores (p<0.05). The digesta retention in the GI tract was longest in rabbits followed by guinea pigs, rats and hamsters. The relative length of the large intestine was significantly shorter in rats as compared to guinea pigs or hamsters. Both the weight and length ratio of the caecum or colon-rectum to the large intestine reflected the major site for fermentation that was the caecum in rabbits and the colon-rectum in guinea pigs. 10% of crude fiber diet did not result in damaged mucosa in any of the experimental animals in this trial.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.13 no.11
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• pp.1576-1583
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• 2000

Three experiments were conducted to determine the nutritional value of wheat gluten (WG) and spray-dried porcine plasma (SDPP) in diets for nursery pigs. In Exp. 1, 120 weanling pigs (5.7 kg avg initial BW) were used in a 35-d growth assay. Treatments for d 0 to 14 were: 1) dried skim milk (DSM)-dried whey-SBM based control; 2) WG to replace the protein from DSM; 3) SDPP; and 4) WG-SDPP (50:50 blend on a protein basis) to replace the protein from DSM. From d 14 to 35, all pigs were fed a common corn-SBM-whey-based diet. For d 0 to 14, there were no differences in ADG, ADFI, and gain/feed (p>0.11). However, for d 14 to 35, pigs fed diets with WG had greater gain/feed than those fed SDPP (p<0.05), and pigs fed diets with the WG-SDPP blend had greater ADG than pigs fed diets with WG or SDPP alone (p<0.07). In a second experiment, 60 weanling pigs (5.1 kg avg initial BW) were used in a 28-d growth assay. All pigs were fed the WG-SDPP diet fed in Exp. 1 for d 0 to 14, and changed to experimental diets for d 14 to 28. Treatments were: 1) the whey-SBM-based diet used for d 14 to 28 in Exp. 1; or 2) a whey-SBM based diet with 3% added SDPP. There were no differences in ADG, ADFI, gain/feed, or apparent digestibilities of DM and N among treatments for d 14 to 28 or overall (p>0.14). In a third experiment, 150 weanling pigs (5.6 kg avg initial BW) were used in a 32-d growth assay to determine the optimal blend of WG and SDPP for use after weaning. The SDPP was added as 8% of the control diet, and WG was substituted on a protein basis to yield the desired SDPP:WG blends. Treatments were (d 0 to 14): 1) SDPP; 2) 75% SDPP and 25% WG; 3) 50% SDPP and 50% WG; 4) 25% SDPP and 75% WG; and 5) WG. As in Exp. 1, all pigs were switched to a common corn-SBM-whey-based diet for d 14 to 32. For d 0 to 14, ADG and ADFI increased as replacement of the SDPP was increased up to 50% and decreased when more of the SDPP was removed from the diet (quadratic effects, p<0.004 and 0.02, respectively). Apparent digestibilities of DM and N (at d 13) were not affected by treatments (p>0.18). For d 14 to 32, treatments did not affect ADG (p>0.2), although there were quadratic responses in ADFI (p<0.04), with pigs fed the 50:50 blend suggested the greatest intake of feed. For the overall experimental period (d 0 to 32), ADG, ADFI, and gain/feed increased as WG was used to replace as much as 50% of the SDPP (quadratic effects p<0.04, 0.02, and 0.06, respectively). In conclusion, WG can successfully replace up to 50% of the SDPP in a complex nursery diet, when SDPP is included at the 8% level. There is no advantage to keeping SDPP in the diet after Phase I (d 0 to 14).

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.46 no.6
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• pp.981-988
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• 2004

An Experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of Natufermen$^{(R)}$;(Aspergillus oryzae) supplementation on the performance, ammonia gas production, microbial population in manure and serum IgG in pigs. Forty eight cross bred(YLD) weanling pigs(35d old) were assigned to 4 treatments; Control(C), $C^+$ Natufermen 0.1%, $C^+$ Natufermen 0.2% $C^+$natufermen 0.3% for 6 week feeding trial. Each treatment had 4 replications of 3 pigs each. Natufermen$^{(R)}$ supplemented treatments tended to increase ADG and ADFI, but there were no significant differences among treatments. Supplementation of Natufermen$^{(R)}$ at the level of 0.2% improved ADFI/ADG(P<0.05). Ammonia gas production from manure was not significantly affected by treatments. All Natufermen$^{(R)}$ treatments increased in DM, crude ash and phosphorus digestibility(P<0.05). Serum IgG decreased as supplemention level of Natufermen$^{(R)}$ increased(P<0.05). Supplemtation of Natufermen$^{(R)}$ at 0.1% and 0.2% increased fecal Lactobacilli population at 3 wks after feeding treated diets(P<0.05). It is concluded that supplementation of Aspergillers oryzae product Natufermen$^{(R)}$ improved feed conversion ratio and digestibility of DM, crud ash and phosphours. Fecal ammonia gas production was not significantly affected but serum IgG level was decreased and CFU of fecal Lactobacilli was increased at 3 wks after feeding Natufermen$^{(R)}$ supplemented diets.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.60 no.1
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• pp.29.1-29.6
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• 2018

Background: Dietary supplementation of zinc oxide (ZnO) to 2000 to 4000 mg/kg is known to be effective for the prevention and treatment of post-weaning diarrhea in the pig. Such a 'pharmacological' supplementation, however, can potentially result in environmental pollution of the heavy metal, because dietary ZnO is mostly excreted unabsorbed. Two experiments (Exp.) were performed in the present study to determine the effects of a lipid-coated ZnO supplement Shield Zn (SZ) compared with those of ZnO. Methods: In Exp. 1, a total of 240 21-day-old weanling pigs were fed a diet supplemented with 100 mg Zn/kg as ZnO (ZnO-100), ZnO-2500, SZ-100, or SZ-200 in 24 pens for 14 days on a farm with its post-weaning pigs exhibiting a low incidence of diarrhea. Exp. 2 was performed using 192 24-day-old piglets as in Exp. 1 on a different farm, which exhibited a high incidence of diarrhea. Results: In Exp. 1, fecal consistency (diarrhea) score (FCS) was less for the ZnO-2500 and SZ-200 groups than for the SZ-100 group (P < 0.05), with no difference between the SZ-100 and ZnO-100 groups. Both average daily gain (ADG) and gain:feed ratio were less for the SZ-200 group than for the ZnO-2500 group, with no difference between the ZnO-100 group and SZ-100 or SZ-200 group. The villus height (VH), crypt depth (CD), and VH:CD ratio of the intestinal mucosa were not influenced by the treatment. In Exp. 2, FCS was lowest for the ZnO-2500 group, with no difference among the other groups. However, neither the ADG nor gain:feed ratio was influenced by the treatment. Conclusion: Results suggest that physiological SZ supplementation has less beneficial effects than pharmacological ZnO for the alleviation of diarrhea irrespective of its severity and for promoting growth without influencing their integrity of the intestinal mucosal structures with little advantage over physiological ZnO in weanling pigs with a small pen size.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.45 no.4
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• pp.551-558
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• 2003

This study was conducted to investigate the effect of dietary wormwood powder (Artemisia montana Pampan; WP) supplementation on growing performance and fecal noxious gas emission in weanling pigs. One hundred and twelve pigs were alloted into four treatments and offered for 4 weeks one of the diets supplemented with 0% (control), 0.5% (0.5), 1.0% (1.0) and 2.0% (2.0) WP. Each treatments has four replicate with 7 pigs per replicate. ADG, ADFI and F/G were improved by 1.0 and 2.0 WP supplementation during 0d${\sim}$14d feeding. Feed intake of 1.0 WP diet was higher (P<0.05) than any other diet during 15d${\sim}$28d feeding. But there were no differences among the other treatments in the weight gain and feed conversion. During the whole feeding period, daily weight gain and feed intake of pigs fed 1.0 and 2.0 treatments were higher than those of pigs fed control and 0.5 diet. DM digestibility was significantly (P<0.05) higher in weanling pigs fed 0.5, 1.0 and 2.0 WP than that of the control. The protein digestibility was significantly improved in 1.0 WP treatment and the phosphorus digestibility was improved in 2.0 WP treatment. Excretion of nitrogen and phosphorus was significantly (P<0.05) decreased by 2.0 treatment than control. Emission of fecal ammonia after 48 hours storage in vinyl bag dramatically decreased by all the treatments except control. However, there was no statistical difference in fecal hydrogen sulfide emission among treatments. In conclusion, this study suggested that the dietary 1.0${\sim}$2.0 supplementation of WP can improve productivity of pigs decrease fecal $NH_3$ and $H_2S$ gas emission.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
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• v.46 no.2
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• pp.229-237
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• 2019

The influence of dietary supplementation with a yeast culture on growth performance, fecal score and nutrient digestibility was evaluated in weaned pigs in a 6-week feeding trial. A total of 50 weaning pigs with an initial average body weight (BW) of $7.46{\pm}1.60kg$ were randomly allotted into 1 of 2 dietary treatments according to the initial BW. There were 5 replicate pens in each treatment with 5 pigs per pen. The dietary treatments were as follows: 1) control, basal diet (CON) and 2) 0.10% yeast culture, basal diet supplemented with 0.1% yeast culture (YC). The average daily feed intake was significantly improved with the dietary supplementation of the yeast culture compared with the control during phases 1 and 3. Overall (0 to 6 weeks), dietary supplementation with the 0.1% yeast culture had a significant effect on the feed conversion ratio (FCR). There was no significant difference in the fecal score between the CON and YC dietary treatments. In addition, no difference in the apparent total tract digestibility was observed between the CON and YC dietary treatments. Collectively, the results of this study indicate that dietary supplementation of 0.1% yeast only improved the feed intake of weaning pigs; however, yeast culture supplementation did not affect the average daily gain, feed efficiency, total tract digestibility of dry matter, and nitrogen and energy levels as well as the fecal scores.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.200-206
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• 2000

Ninety nursery pigs were used in two metabolism experiments to determine the effects of roasting and extruding on the nutritional value of Williams 82 soybeans with (+K) and without (-K) gene expression for the Kunitz trypsin inhibitor. Treatments for both experiments were: 1) soybean meal; 2) +K roasted; 3) +K extruded; 4) -K roasted; and 5) -K extruded. Diets were the soybean preparations (96.5% of the diet) with only vitamins and minerals added as needed to meet or exceed NRC recommendations. Daily feed allowance was 5% of initial BW given as three equal meals. In Exp. 1, 50 weanling pigs (4.7 kg average BW and 21 d average age) were used. Apparent values for N digestibility (p<0.001), biological value (p<0.09), percentage N retention (p<0.05), GE digestibility (p<0.001) and percentage ME (p<0.001) were greater for pigs fed extruded soybeans than pigs fed roasted soybeans. Also, N digestibility (p<0.05), biological value (p<0.03) and percentage N retention (p<0.04) were greater for pigs fed -K soybeans than those fed +K soybeans. In Exp. 2, 40 pigs (9.7 kg average BW and 35 d average age) were allowed to adjust to the nursery environment before use in the experiment. In general, the pigs in Exp. 2 (i.e., the older pigs) had greater utilization of nutrients from all of the soybean products than the younger pigs used in Exp. 1. Digestibilities of DM, N and GE were greater (p<0.001) for pigs fed -K soybeans than those fed +K soybeans and extruded soybeans had greater digestibilities of DM, N and GE than roasted soybeans (p<0.001). Also, percentage N retention (p<0.01) and percentage ME (p<0.001) for pigs fed extruded soybeans were greater than for pigs fed roasted soybeans. In conclusion, extruded and -K soybeans were greater nutritional value than roasted and +K soybeans for 4.7 and 9.7 kg nursery pigs.