Effects of keratinase supplementation of corn-soybean meal based diets on apparent ileal amino acid digestibility in growing pigs and serum amino acids, cytokines, immunoglobulin levels and loin muscle area in nursery pigs

Abstract

Two experiments were conducted to evaluate effects of keratinase for growing and nursery pigs. In Exp. 1, six pigs (32.3 ± 2.8 kg body weight), fitted with a simple T-cannula at the distal ileum, were assigned to one of two 3 × 3 Latin squares involving three periods and three diets including a basal diet and the same diets supplemented with 0, 0.05 or 0.1% keratinase. Dietary keratinase supplementation increased the apparent ileal digestibility of crude protein (CP), arginine, histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, tryptophan, alanine, glutamic acid and proline (p < 0.05). Digestibility coefficients did not differ between pigs fed 0.05 and 0.1% keratinase. In Exp. 2, 24piglets weaned at 30 ± 2 d of age were used in a 2 × 2 factorial design experiment with two CP concentrations (19 vs. 22%) and two levels of keratinase supplementation (0 vs. 0.05%). Keratinase supplementation increased (p < 0.05) average daily gain, serum arginine concentration and loin muscle area but decreased (p < 0.05) serum interleukin-10 concentrations. The reduction in dietary CP level decreased (p < 0.05) serum urea nitrogen concentrations, isoleucine, serine and proline concentrations, but increased serum arginine concentrations. Few interactions between keratinase supplementation and dietary CP concentration were observed. This study indicated that dietary keratinase supplementation improved apparent ileal amino acid digestibility for growing pigs and had a positive effect on weight gain, immune response and loin muscle area for nursery pigs.

Keywords:

• amino acids
• digestibility
• immune response
• keratinase
• pigs

Acknowledgement

Financial supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 31072040), State Key Laboratory of Animal Nutrition of China (No. 2004DA125184-0810), Ministry ofScience and Technology of China (No. nyhyzx07-034), Guangdong cooperation project between Industry-Academia-Research of China (No. 2009B090300110), and Novus International Trading (Shanghai) Co., Ltd.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Ding Wang

†Both authors contributed equally to this work.

Zhikai Zeng

†Both authors contributed equally to this work.