Document Type

Thesis - Open Access

Award Date

2024

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department / School

Animal Science

First Advisor

Jorge Y. Perez-Palencia

Abstract

Despite its excellent nutritional profile, soybean meal (SBM) is limited in nursery pig diets due to its anti-nutritional factors (ANFs), which young pigs tolerate poorly. In the first study, strategies to mitigate these effects included supplementation with enzymes, alone or with acidifiers. A total of 240 weaned pigs (5.9 ± 0.8 kg average body weight [BW]) were assigned in randomized complete block design to five dietary treatments: low, medium, or high SBM diets, high SBM with multienzyme, and high SBM with multienzyme plus acidifier. Diets were fed in three phases: phase 1 (0–1 weeks), phase 2 (1–3 weeks), and phase 3 (3–6 weeks), with a common diet in phase 3 (32% SBM). The multienzyme blend included phytase (100 ppm), multi-carbohydrase (500 ppm), protease (250 ppm), and keratinase (25ppm), while the acidifier (0.5%) contained formic, citric, acetic, and lactic acids. Growth performance was measured after each phase, along with blood and intestinal samples for immunological and histological analysis. High SBM diets with multienzyme or multienzyme plus acidifier improved average daily gain (P = 0.08) in phase 2 by 12.5%. These diets also reduced diarrhea incidence in phases 1 and 2 and enhanced amino acid digestibility, bringing it closer to that of low SBM diets. In the second study, two dietary fat sources and feeding durations were tested for their impact on growth, carcass characteristics, and meat quality. Using 450 finishing pigs (average BW of 113.7 ± 8 kg) in a 2×2+1 factorial design, treatments included a control diet, or diets with choice white grease (CWG) or high oleic soybean oil (HOSO) fed for 2 or 4 weeks before slaughter. HOSO supplementation improved pork’s monounsaturated fatty acid (MUFA) profile by increasing oleic acid while reducing palmitic and stearic acid concentrations. Growth performance was similar between HOSO and CWG, both surpassing the control diet. In conclusion, enzyme and acidifier supplementation in nursery pigs allowed higher SBM inclusion by improving performance and reducing diarrhea. HOSO supplementation enhanced pork’s nutritional quality, offering healthier options for consumers.

Publisher

South Dakota State University

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Rights Statement

In Copyright