Department of Veterinary Medicine, Institute of Animal Nutrition, Freie Universität Berlin, Brümmerstrasse, Berlin, Germany.
Anim Health Res Rev. 2011 Jun;12(1):83-93. doi: 10.1017/S1466252311000089.
Medium-chain fatty acids (MCFAs) are found at higher levels in milk lipids of many animal species and in the oil fraction of several plants, including coconuts, palm kernels and certain Cuphea species. Medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs) and fatty acids are efficiently absorbed and metabolized and are therefore used for piglet nutrition. They may provide instant energy and also have physiological benefits beyond their energetic value contributing to several findings of improved performance in piglet-feeding trials. MCTs are effectively hydrolyzed by gastric and pancreatic lipases in the newborn and suckling young, allowing rapid provision of energy for both enterocytes and intermediary hepatic metabolism. MCFAs affect the composition of the intestinal microbiota and have inhibitory effects on bacterial concentrations in the digesta, mainly on Salmonella and coliforms. However, most studies have been performed in vitro up to now and in vivo data in pigs are still scarce. Effects on the gut-associated and general immune function have been described in several animal species, but they have been less studied in pigs. The addition of up to 8% of a non-esterified MCFA mixture in feed has been described, but due to the sensory properties this can have a negative impact on feed intake. This may be overcome by using MCTs, allowing dietary inclusion rates up to 15%. Feeding sows with diets containing 15% MCTs resulted in a lower mortality of newborns and better development, particularly of underweight piglets. In conclusion, MCFAs and MCTs offer advantages for the improvement of energy supply and performance of piglets and may stabilize the intestinal microbiota, expanding the spectrum of feed additives supporting piglet health in the post-weaning period.
中链脂肪酸（MCFAs）在许多动物物种的牛奶脂质和几种植物的油分中含量较高，包括椰子、棕榈仁以及某些 Cuphea 属植物。中链甘油三酯（MCT）和脂肪酸被高效吸收和代谢，因此被用于仔猪营养。它们可以提供即时能量，并且具有超越其能量价值的生理益处，这有助于在仔猪饲养试验中发现多种性能提高的结果。MCT 在新生和哺乳期幼仔的胃和胰腺脂肪酶的作用下有效水解，允许为肠细胞和中间肝代谢快速提供能量。MCFAs 影响肠道微生物群的组成，并对消化物中的细菌浓度具有抑制作用，主要是对沙门氏菌和大肠杆菌。然而，迄今为止，大多数研究都是在体外进行的，仔猪的体内数据仍然很少。在几种动物物种中描述了对肠道相关和一般免疫功能的影响，但在猪中研究较少。在饲料中添加高达 8%的非酯化 MCFA 混合物已被描述，但由于其感官特性，这可能对饲料采食量产生负面影响。通过使用 MCT 可以克服这一问题，允许饲料中添加高达 15%的 MCT。给母猪喂食含有 15% MCT 的日粮会降低新生仔猪的死亡率并改善其发育，特别是体重不足的仔猪。总之，MCFAs 和 MCT 为改善仔猪的能量供应和性能提供了优势，并且可能稳定肠道微生物群，扩大支持断奶后仔猪健康的饲料添加剂谱。
