Interpretive Summary: Efficacy of a novel multi-enzyme feed additive on growth performance, nutrient digestibility, and gut microbiome of weanling pigs fed corn–wheat or wheat–barley-based diet
By: Ayodeji S Aderibigbe, Chan Sol Park, Timothy Johnson, Deepak E Velayudhan, Ester Vinyeta, Olayiwola Adeola
There is a pressing need to enhance livestock production efficiency to meet the growing global demand for meat. Carbohydrases and proteases are enzymes typically added to swine diets to improve nutrient utilization, leading to better growth rates and feed efficiency. This ultimately contributes to sustainable and economically viable pig farming. However, more research is required to better understand how carbohydrases and proteases interact with different diet types to optimize dietary formulations, and how this may influence gut microbiome composition. In this study, 192 weaner pigs (~7 kg) were assigned to a low-fiber diet or a high-fiber diet. Each diet type was with or without a carbohydrases and protease multi-enzyme supplementation. The results showed that adding a multi-enzyme combination to the pigs’ diet significantly improved the pig’s performance, regardless of diet type. Improvement in nutrient digestibility was more pronounced in pigs fed the high-fiber diet and that dietary fiber had a greater influence on the composition of fecal microbes. In essence, the study demonstrates that the multi-enzyme can boost pig growth and feed efficiency in diets with varying fiber complexity without causing significant changes in their gut microbiome.
Read the full article in the Journal of Animal Science.
