Comparing a seaweed blend to pharmacological levels of zinc oxide in weaner pig diets: The benefit to pig performance and inflammatory response

• Published in: Animal feed science and technology 2024-04, Vol.310, p.115928, Article 115928
• Main Authors: Hazelden, Sophie C., Graham, Hadden, Laird, Steven, Clarkson, Ryan, McDermott, Katie, Taylor, Amy E.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: average daily gain; Duroc; feed conversion; feed intake; feeds; growth performance; ileum; inflammation; Inflammatory response; interleukin-10; interleukin-6; landraces; Large White; macroalgae; mucosa; Pig; Pig performance; prebiotics; Seaweed blend; sex ratio; swine; technology; tumor necrosis factor-alpha; weanlings; zinc oxide; Zinc oxide replacement
• ISSN: 0377-8401; 1873-2216
• DOI: 10.1016/j.anifeedsci.2024.115928

After the ban of pharmacological zinc oxide (ZnO) in EU pig diets, alternative ways to improve health and growth performance of pigs after weaning are being sought. Seaweed blends have been an area of interest given their potential prebiotic effects. This work compared two levels of a seaweed blend, added to a control diet and a diet with pharmacological levels of ZnO, on feed intake, growth, feed efficiency and the inflammatory response. A total of 240 pigs ((Large White x Landrace) x Danish Duroc) were weaned (8.5 ± 0.31 kg) into pens of five pigs per pen and allocated to one of four dietary treatments. Across treatment groups, pens of pigs were balanced for the sex ratio within a pen, a pig’s litter of origin and weight at weaning. Pens of pigs were fed one of four diets: 1) positive control (PC) - standard diet with 3.1 g/kg ZnO; 2) negative control (NC) - standard diet without ZnO; 3) NC+5 g/kg seaweed blend (SWB); 4) NC+10 g/kg SWB, across three phases: days 0–7, 7–20 and 20–42 after weaning. Feed refusals per pen and individual pig weights were recorded on days 7, 20 and 42 to determine average daily gain (ADG), average daily feed intake (ADFI) and gain:feed (G:F) per phase. On day 20, six pigs per treatment were euthanised and dissected. Peripheral plasma samples were collected for ELISA analysis of interleukin-6 (IL-6), IL-1β and IL-10 and the ileal mucosa was scraped for qPCR analysis of relative mRNA quantification of IL-6, IL-1β and tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α). During the first seven days after weaning, PC fed pigs tended to have higher ADG than other treatments (P