TY - JOUR

T1 - Pre-weaning adaptation responses in piglets fed milk replacer with gradually increasing amounts of wheat

AU - Amdi, Charlotte

AU - Pedersen, Marie Louise M.

AU - Klaaborg, Joanna

AU - Myhill, Laura J.

AU - Engelsmann, Maiken N.

AU - Williams, Andrew R.

AU - Thymann, Thomas

PY - 2021

Y1 - 2021

N2 - Hyperprolific sows rear more piglets than they have teats, and in order to accommodate this, milk replacers are often offered as a supplement. Milk replacers are based on bovine milk, yet components of vegetable origin are often added. This may reduce growth, but could also accelerate maturational changes. Therefore, we investigated the effect of feeding piglets a milk replacer with gradually increasing levels of wheat flour on growth, gut enzyme activity and immune function compared to a diet based entirely on bovine milk. The hypothesis tested was that adding a starch component (wheat flour) induces maturation of the mucosa as measured by higher digestive activity and improved integrity and immunity of the small intestines (SI). To test this hypothesis, piglets were removed from the sow at day 3 and fed either a pure milk replacer diet (MILK) or from day 11 a milk replacer diet with increasing levels of wheat (WHEAT). The WHEAT piglets had an increased enzyme activity of maltase and sucrase in the proximal part of the SI compared with the MILK group. There were no differences in gut morphology, histopathology and gene expression between the groups. In conclusion, the pigs given a milk replacer with added wheat displayed immunological and gut mucosal enzyme maturational changes, indicatory of adaptation toward a vegetable-based diet. This was not associated with any clinical complications and future studies are needed to show whether this could improve responses in the subsequent weaning process.

AB - Hyperprolific sows rear more piglets than they have teats, and in order to accommodate this, milk replacers are often offered as a supplement. Milk replacers are based on bovine milk, yet components of vegetable origin are often added. This may reduce growth, but could also accelerate maturational changes. Therefore, we investigated the effect of feeding piglets a milk replacer with gradually increasing levels of wheat flour on growth, gut enzyme activity and immune function compared to a diet based entirely on bovine milk. The hypothesis tested was that adding a starch component (wheat flour) induces maturation of the mucosa as measured by higher digestive activity and improved integrity and immunity of the small intestines (SI). To test this hypothesis, piglets were removed from the sow at day 3 and fed either a pure milk replacer diet (MILK) or from day 11 a milk replacer diet with increasing levels of wheat (WHEAT). The WHEAT piglets had an increased enzyme activity of maltase and sucrase in the proximal part of the SI compared with the MILK group. There were no differences in gut morphology, histopathology and gene expression between the groups. In conclusion, the pigs given a milk replacer with added wheat displayed immunological and gut mucosal enzyme maturational changes, indicatory of adaptation toward a vegetable-based diet. This was not associated with any clinical complications and future studies are needed to show whether this could improve responses in the subsequent weaning process.

KW - Gut maturation

KW - Intestinal health

KW - Intestinal morphology

KW - LPS challenge

KW - Milk replacer

U2 - 10.1017/S0007114520004225

DO - 10.1017/S0007114520004225

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 33106192

AN - SCOPUS:85094891845

VL - 126

SP - 375

EP - 382

JO - British Journal of Nutrition

JF - British Journal of Nutrition

SN - 0007-1145

IS - 3

ER -