Riedmüller Jonathan, Monteiro Alessandra, Männer Klaus, Saliu Eva M, Vahjen Wilfried, Zentek Jürgen
Freie Universität Berlin, Königin-Luise-Straße 49, 14195 Berlin, Germany.
Animine, 10 Rue Léon Rey Grange, 74960 Annecy, France.
Transl Anim Sci. 2025 Jun 20;9:txaf073. doi: 10.1093/tas/txaf073. eCollection 2025.
For years, high zinc levels (up to 3000 mg/kg feed) have been used to aid piglets during the weaning phase. However, studies revealed drawbacks like antimicrobial resistance and environmental impact. Since 2022, the EU limits zinc inclusion levels to 150 mg total zinc per kg. Therefore, alternative strategies for replacing high levels of zinc are of great interest. This study compares a potentiated zinc oxide source (HiZox) and feed grade zinc oxide at various levels on piglet performance, fecal consistency and fecal microbiome. The trial involved a total of 1,440 healthy weaned piglets (DanBred × Duroc; 50% barrows, 50% gilts; initial BW 10.1 ± 1.46 kg) over the 28-day duration of the experimental period. Piglets were randomly assigned to 12 treatment groups, each consisting of 12 pens, with 10 piglets per pen. The trial comprised two periods: the starter period (days 1 to 14) focused on comparing the two zinc products, while all animals received a diet supplemented with 150 mg/kg of potentiated ZnO in the grower period (days 15 to 28). Treatment groups receiving feed grade ZnO were denoted as Z150, Z300, Z600, Z900, Z1500, and Z3000, while corresponding groups with the potentiated ZnO product were labeled H150, H300, H600, H900, H1500, and H3000, respectively. Body weight (BW) and feed intake (FI) were measured for every pen at days 1, 14 and 28. Fecal samples were collected on the same days. During the starter phase (days 1 to 14), potentiated ZnO significantly improved average daily gain (ADG) compared to feed-grade ZnO ( ≤ 0.001), with the highest values observed at 3000 mg/kg (H3000: 247 g/d vs. Z3000: 233 g/d). Feed intake (FI) was also higher in potentiated ZnO groups ( ≤ 0.001), and feed conversion ratio (FCR) was more efficient (e.g., H3000: 1.2 vs. Z3000: 1.24; = 0.001). In the grower phase residual effects from the starter phase persisted: animals previously fed potentiated ZnO had improved FCR ( = 0.003). Fecal microbiota analysis revealed that higher zinc levels reduced abundance (P ≤ 0.001) and increased the presence of genera typical of adult pigs, such as sensu stricto 1 and (P < 0.01). In conclusion, based on the observed shift in fecal microbiota composition characterized by a reduction in lactobacilli and an increase in proteobacteria due to heightened dietary zinc levels, it is advised to adjust zinc supplementation to 150 mg/kg after the initial 2 wk post-weaning.
多年来，高锌水平（高达3000毫克/千克饲料）一直被用于帮助仔猪度过断奶期。然而，研究发现了诸如抗微生物药物耐药性和环境影响等缺点。自2022年以来，欧盟将锌的添加水平限制为每千克总锌150毫克。因此，替代高锌水平的策略备受关注。本研究比较了一种强化氧化锌源（HiZox）和不同水平的饲料级氧化锌对仔猪生长性能、粪便稠度和粪便微生物群的影响。该试验在为期28天的实验期内共涉及1440头健康断奶仔猪（丹系长白×杜洛克；50%为公猪，50%为母猪；初始体重10.1±1.46千克）。仔猪被随机分配到12个处理组，每组由12个猪栏组成，每个猪栏有10头仔猪。试验包括两个阶段：起始期（第1天至第14天）重点比较两种锌产品，而在生长期（第15天至第28天）所有动物都接受添加了150毫克/千克强化氧化锌的日粮。接受饲料级氧化锌的处理组分别标记为Z150、Z300、Z600、Z900、Z1500和Z3000，而使用强化氧化锌产品的相应组分别标记为H150、H300、H600、H900、H1500和H3000。在第1天、第14天和第28天测量每个猪栏的体重（BW）和采食量（FI）。在同一天采集粪便样本。在起始期（第1天至第14天），与饲料级氧化锌相比，强化氧化锌显著提高了平均日增重（ADG）（P≤0.001），在3000毫克/千克时观察到最高值（H3000：247克/天对Z3000：233克/天）。强化氧化锌组的采食量（FI）也更高（P≤0.001），饲料转化率（FCR）更高效（例如，H3000：1.2对Z3000：1.24；P = 0.001）。在生长期，起始期的残留效应仍然存在：之前饲喂强化氧化锌的动物的饲料转化率有所提高（P = 0.003）。粪便微生物群分析表明，较高的锌水平降低了乳酸菌的丰度（P≤0.001），并增加了成年猪典型菌属的存在，如狭义梭菌1和普氏菌属（P<0.01）。总之，基于观察到的粪便微生物群组成的变化，其特征是由于日粮锌水平升高导致乳酸菌减少和变形菌增加，建议在断奶后的最初2周后将锌补充量调整为150毫克/千克。
