Postweaning diarrhea is a major challenge on commercial pig farms. The current study aimed to determine the efficacy of dietary valerate glycerides supplemented to weaned piglets under enterotoxigenic E. coli (ETEC) F18 infection conditions. Valerate is a naturally occurring compound in the large intestine that may benefit host organisms and is easily utilized as a dietary feed additive in a glyceride form. Treatment diets were supplemented with monoglycerides at two doses (monovalerin; 0.075% and 0.1%) and in triglyceride form (trivalerin) at an inclusion rate of 0.1%. Compared with pigs fed a basal diet formulation with no supplements, trivalerin-supplemented pigs exhibited a reduced frequency of severe diarrhea and fecal shedding of pathogenic ETEC. Throughout the trial, an inflammatory biomarker, TNF-α, was reduced in the serum of pigs fed trivalerin. Supplementation with valerate glycerides altered intestinal gene expression and morphology and serum metabolites, indicating reduced inflammation and improved intestinal function. This experiment demonstrated the potential for the use of valerate glycerides as a dietary intervention to improve outcomes for piglets infected with ETEC F18.

Read the full article in the Journal of Animal Science.