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Adding lipids to swine diets can not only help supply concentrated energy, highly digestive essential fatty acids and fat-soluble vitamins, but also increase the palatability of the diet and therefore improve the feed efficiency and intestinal health of weanling piglets. However, there are few studies focused on finding effective combinations of high-quality plant oils and their effects on performance, digestibility and intestinal health in piglets. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of two novel mixed plant oils on performance, serum immunity, antioxidant capacity and intestinal morphology in weanling piglets compared with soybean oil (SO). For that purpose, a total of 108 piglets [Duroc × (Landrace × Yorkshire)] and with an average BW of 8.80 ± 1.02 kg, were randomly allotted into 1 of 3 dietary treatments with 6 replicate pens per treatment, 3 barrows and 3 gilts per pen. The study contained two feeding phases, d 0–14 and d 14–28. Dietary treatments included a control diet (CON; corn-soybean meal basal diet + 5% SO in phase 1 or 4% SO in phase 2), mixed plant oil 1 diet (MPO1; basal diet + 5% MPO1 in phase 1 or 4% MPO1 in phase 2; a mixture of 10% coconut oil, 15% corn oil, 15% linseed oil, 15% peanut oil, 20% palm oil, and 25% SO), and mixed plant oil 2 diet (MPO2; basal diet + 5% MPO2 in phase 1 or 4% MPO2 in phase 2; a mixture of half MPO1 and half extruded corn).
As a result, compared with the CON, the piglets fed MPO (MPO1 or MPO2) had increased ADG and feed efficiency in phase 1 and overall, as well as improved serum superoxide dismutase (SOD) content on day 14. These piglets also had higher serum IgG, SOD, glutathione peroxidase contents, villus height in duodenum and jejunum, and apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD) of ether extract on d28. Piglets fed MPO2 showed a higher IgM content on d14 and growth hormone content in serum on d28 compared with piglets in the control group.
In conclusion, mixed plants oils increased ADG and feed efficiency compared with soybean oil in weanling piglets. They also improved antioxidant status and serum immunity, increased the intestinal morphology and provided a better energy feed than a soybean oil based diet for weanling piglets.
Long SF, He TF, Liu L, Piao XS. Dietary mixed plant oils supplementation improves performance, serum antioxidant status, immunoglobulin and intestinal morphology in weanling piglets. Animal Feed Science and Technology. 2020; 260(14337). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anifeedsci.2019.114337