Candida utilis yeast as a protein source for weaned piglets: Effects on growth performance and digestive function

• Published in: Livestock science 2019-08, Vol.226, p.31-39
• Main Authors: Cruz, Ana, Håkenåsen, Ingrid M., Skugor, Adrijana, Mydland, Liv T., Åkesson, Caroline P., Hellestveit, Selina S., Sørby, Randi, Press, Charles McL, Øverland, Margareth
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Candida utilis; Digestive function; Growth performance; Weaned piglet; Yeast
• ISSN: 1871-1413; 1878-0490
• DOI: 10.1016/j.livsci.2019.06.003

•Up to 40% of the crude protein in traditional piglet diets was replaced by yeast.•The yeast Candida utilis was grown on local lignocellulosic biomass.•Digestive function improved and growth performance was maintained.•The digestibility of crude protein and minerals improved.•Intestinal villi-height and fecal dry matter increased. Yeast such as inactivated Candida utilis produced from lignocellulosic biomass from underutilized wood co-products as a second-generation sugar source is a potentially sustainable protein feed ingredient in diets for piglets. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of C. utilis added to diets for weaned piglets on growth performance and digestive function when replacing main protein sources. Forty-eight piglets weaned at 30 days of age, with a mean starting weight of 11.06 ± 0.84 kg were fed one of four dietary treatments for 28 days: a conventional control diet with soybean meal, fishmeal, rapeseed meal, and potato protein or one of three experimental diets containing 10, 20 or 40% crude protein (CP) from yeast (CU10, CU20, and CU40, respectively). Adding yeast to diets did not affect growth performance compared with the control. The diet with 40% CP from C. utilis had higher apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD) of CP compared with the control (P = 0.034) and higher ATTD of ash (P