Trouw Nutrition R&D, P.O. Box 299, 3800 AG, Amersfoort, The Netherlands.
Drayton Animal Health Ltd, Alcester Road, Stratford-on-Avon, Warwickshire CV37 9RQ, UK.
J Anim Sci. 2021 Nov 1;99(11). doi: 10.1093/jas/skab307.
This study examined the effect of a water acidifier containing free and buffered short-chain fatty acids (SCFA-WA) on growth performance and microbiota of weaned piglets. In total, 192 male piglets, approximately 4 wk of age, were allocated to 24 pens (12 per treatment) with 8 piglets per pen. The piglets received either regular drinking water (negative control) or drinking water with the acidifier supplied at 2 L/1,000 L. Body weight and feed intake were measured weekly on pen level. During the first 2 wk, daily visual assessment and scoring of the feces was conducted. Fecal samples of three piglets per pen were collected on days 14 and 42 for high-throughput sequencing analysis of the microbiota. Piglets offered SCFA-WA had significantly improved feed efficiency in the third week (P = 0.025) and over the whole study period (days 0 to 42, P = 0.042) compared with piglets in the negative control group, with a strong tendency observed during the first feeding phase (days 0 to 21, P = 0.055). Furthermore, the water acidifier group had a higher water intake than piglets provided with control water during the second feeding phase (days 21 to 42, P = 0.028) and over the whole study period (days 0 to 42, P = 0.043). There was no significant difference in body weight, average daily gain, or average daily feed intake (days 0 to 21, 21 to 42, 0 to 42). Furthermore, there was no overall significant difference in fecal scoring between the treatments. In terms of the fecal microbiota response, piglets offered the water acidifier showed a significantly higher relative abundance (RA) of genus Clostridium sensu stricto 1 and a lower RA of genus Streptococcus compared to the control. Furthermore, the redundancy analysis showed a positive association between improved feed efficiency and daily weight gain and RA of Butyricicoccus and Faecalibacterium. In conclusion, consumption of the water acidifier containing free and buffered SCFA modulated the microbiota and improved feed efficiency in piglets.
本研究旨在探讨一种含有游离和缓冲短链脂肪酸（SCFA-WA）的酸化剂对断奶仔猪生长性能和微生物群的影响。共有 192 头大约 4 周龄的雄性仔猪被分配到 24 个栏位（每个处理 12 个），每个栏位 8 头仔猪。仔猪分别接受常规饮用水（阴性对照）或酸化剂添加量为 2 L/1000 L 的饮用水。每周在栏位水平上测量体重和采食量。在最初的 2 周内，每天对粪便进行视觉评估和评分。在第 14 天和第 42 天，每个栏位的 3 头仔猪采集粪便样本，进行微生物组高通量测序分析。与阴性对照组相比，添加 SCFA-WA 的仔猪在第三周（P = 0.025）和整个研究期间（0 至 42 天，P = 0.042）的饲料效率显著提高，在第一采食阶段（0 至 21 天，P = 0.055）表现出强烈的趋势。此外，与提供对照水的仔猪相比，酸化剂组在第二采食阶段（21 至 42 天，P = 0.028）和整个研究期间（0 至 42 天，P = 0.043）的饮水量更高。在体重、平均日增重或平均日采食量方面，两组之间没有显著差异（0 至 21 天、21 至 42 天、0 至 42 天）。此外，两组之间的粪便评分没有总体差异。就粪便微生物群反应而言，与对照组相比，酸化剂组仔猪梭菌属严格意义上的 1 种和链球菌属的相对丰度（RA）显著升高，而丁酸球菌属和粪杆菌属的 RA 降低。此外，冗余分析显示，饲料效率的提高与日增重和丁酸梭菌属和粪杆菌属的 RA 呈正相关。综上所述，添加含有游离和缓冲 SCFA 的酸化剂可调节仔猪的微生物群并提高其饲料效率。
