Effect of feeding fermented liquid feed and fermented grain to piglets on gastrointestinal ecology and growth performance

¹ University of Aarhus, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, Research Centre Foulum, Department of Animal Health, Welfare and Nutrition, 8830 Tjele, Denmark
² University of Aarhus, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, Department of Genetics and Biotechnology, Research Centre Foulum, P.O. Box 50, 8830 Tjele, Denmark

^* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: nuria.canibe{at}agrsci.dk.

	Abstract

A study was designed to investigate the microbial and nutritional characteristics of dry feed, liquid feed containing fermented liquid cereal grains, and fermented liquid feed, and their effect on gastrointestinal ecology and growth performance when fed to piglets. One hundred and twenty piglets from 40 litters were used and housed in pens with 5 animals in each. Three dietary treatments were designed using a non-heated and non-pelleted diet: dry meal diet (DRY), fermented liquid cereal grain feed (FLG), and fermented liquid feed (FLF). The FLG diet was prepared by storing the dietary cereals (barley and wheat) and water (1:2.5) in a closed tank at 20°C and adding the remaining dietary ingredients immediately before feeding. The FLF diet was prepared by storing compound feed and water (1:2.5) in a closed tank at 20°C. Three times daily, 50% of the fermented cereals or compound feed and water stored in the tanks was removed and then replaced with an equal amount of fresh cereals or feed and water. On d 14, 1 piglet from each treatment was killed and samples from the gastrointestinal tract were obtained. The pH of the fermented cereals was 3.85 (SD = 0.10), that of the FLG diet was 5.00 (SD = 0.18), and the pH of the FLF was 4.45 (SD = 0.11). The dietary concentration of lysine (g/16 g N) pointed to a decreased concentration in the FLF (5.46, SD = 0.08) compared to the DRY (6.01) and FLG (6.21, SD = 0.27) diets, and the concentration of cadaverine was higher in the FLF diet (890 mg/kg, SD = 151.3) than in the DRY (32 mg/kg) and FLG (153 mg/kg, SD = 18.7) diets. Fermenting only the cereal component of the diet promoted the growth of yeasts to a greater extent than fermenting the whole diet (FLF). Terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism profiles of diets and digesta from the stomach and mid-colon showed differences among dietary groups. The number of yeasts able to grow at 37°C in the stomach and distal small intestine was greatest in the FLG group compared to the other 2 dietary groups (P < 0.01). In the cecum and colon, the differences were only significant between piglets fed the FLG and the FLF diets (P < 0.05). The highest number of yeasts able to grow at 20°C was detected in the animals fed the FLG diet. However, the values were different from the FLF fed-piglets only in the stomach (P < 0.05) and mid-colon (P < 0.05). There was a tendency (P < 0.10) for greater ADG of the piglets fed the FLG compared to the FLF diet. Although the ADFI values were numerically greater after feeding the FLG diet than the FLF diet, no differences (P > 0.05) were detected. Feeding liquid feed containing fermented liquid cereal grains as a means of avoiding microbial decarboxylation of free amino acids in the feed and increasing feed intake by improving palatability seems promising but requires further investigation.

Key Words: digestive tract, fermented cereals, growth, liquid diets, microbiota, piglets