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Heat stress negatively affects animal performance, primarily through decreased feed intake, which leads to lower average daily gain and reduced feed efficiency. Heat stress also causes nutrient utilization shifts, osmotic stress, and gastrointestinal issues, impairing digestion and nutrient absorption. Feeding strategies, including diet composition changes and functional feed additives, have the potential to mitigate heat stress effects. Antioxidants, such as vitamin E, vitamin C, and selenomethionine help alleviate oxidative stress, while betaine functions as an osmoprotectant. Although individual additives have been studied, the combined effect of vitamin E, vitamin C, selenomethionine, and betaine during heat stress in pigs remains unexplored.
Objective: The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of dietary supplementation of betaine, vitamin E, vitamin C, and selenomethionine in growing–finishing pigs under summer conditions.
Methods: Sixty pigs were divided into two groups: the control (CF) and summer feed group. The trial began on 30 June 2021 with pigs at 10 weeks of age (31.0 ± 2.9 kg) and concluded on 12 October 2021 at 25 weeks of age when the pigs reached slaughter weight (120.6 ± 11.3 kg). The summer feed group received a diet enriched with selenomethionine, vitamins E and C, and betaine under legal limits. Key parameters, including respiration rate, rectal and skin temperature, behavior, weight gain, and water intake, were monitored.
Results: The summer feed group showed less increase in water intake during heat stress, while both groups experienced higher respiration rates and skin temperatures during heat waves.
Conclusion: These findings suggest that the enriched diet may reduce the need for increased water intake during hot periods and highlight the sensitivity of pigs to heat stress, particularly through changes in respiration rates and skin temperatures.
De Prekel L, Maes D, Van den Broeke A, Ampe B, Aluwé M. Effect of Simultaneous Dietary Supplementation of Betaine, Selenomethionine, and Vitamins E and C under Summer Conditions in Growing-Finishing Pigs. Vet Sci. 2024. Mar 1;11(3):110. doi: 10.3390/vetsci11030110
