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Efficacy of Vitamin C Supplementation for Weanling Swine^1,2,3,

The Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center and The Ohio State University, Wooster 44691

Abstract

Three experiments were conducted with a total 742 weanling pigs 3 to 4 wk of age to evaluate the efficacy of supplementary vitamin C during a 28-d postweaning period on pig performance and various blood and tissue characteristics. The first trial compared the effects of supplementing vitamin C in the diet (350 ppm) or injecting 40 mg L-ascorbate on alternate days as compared with a basal or saline injection group. The second trial evaluated three levels of vitamin C (0, 450, 900 ppm) without or with carbadox (55 ppm) in three nursery facilities. A third study evaluated dietary vitamin C (0, 900 ppm) and Cu (0, 60 ppm). The basal diet was formulated from corn, soybean meal and oats to a 20% protein level. Coated ascorbic acid (2.5% ethylcellulose) served as -a dietary vitamin C product. When vitamin C was incorporated in the diet or when L-ascorbate was injected im on alternate days, no improvement in growth rate, feed intake and feed to gain ratio resulted for the overall 28-d period. There was, however, a trend (P<.10) toward an improvement of these performance characteristics in two trials during the initial 2-wk period, implying a possible temporary benefit of supplementary vitamin C upon weaning. No interactive effect was evident between dietary vitamin C and antimicrobial agents (carbadox or Cu) or in the three types of nursery facilities evaluated. Neither dietary vitamin C nor Cu had any effect on plasma vitamin C, blood hematocrit, hemoglobin levels or liver concentrations of Fe, Zn or Cu. Plasma vitamin C declined within 2 d postweaning for pigs fed the basal or 350 ppm vitamin C diets and remained low each week for the duration of the trial. After 200 or 400 mg L-ascorbate was injected im in a single dose, plasma vitamin C increased, but then declined to base values within 4-h postinjection. Dietary vitamin C or carbadox had no effect on the fecal shedding of rotavirus or on serum rotavirus IgG antibody levels. No evidence of osteochondrosis was observed when the articular cartilage of the femur was examined 28 d postweaning when dietary vitamin C or Cu was provided. The stability of the coated vitamin C product used in preparing mixed swine feeds was considered good, having 97, 93 and 87% of the initial level at 7, 28 and 57 d postmixing, respectively.

¹ Approved for publication as Journal Article 65-82 from The Ohio Agr. Res. and Develop. Center and The Ohio State Univ., Wooster.

² This research was partially supported by Hoffman-LaRoche Inc., Nutley, NJ.

³ Appreciation is expressed to R. Sabine, B. Taylor, J. Reed and A. Reed for their help with the collection of performance data and to M. Roof and P. Anderson for technical assistance with laboratory analyses.

⁴ Dept. of Anim. Sci.

⁵ Dept. of Vet. Sci.