Evaluation of the effectiveness of supplementing micro-encapsulated organic acids and essential oils in diets for sows and suckling piglets

Figures & data

Table 1. Ingredient composition of the experimental diets (g/kg, as-fed).

	Gestation diet	Lactation diet
Ingredients, g/kg
Maize	571	511.2
Soybean meal, 46% CP	106.5	246.1
Wheat bran	120	40
Rapeseed meal	37	25
Rice bran	60	50
Tallow	35.9	60.5
Molasses	36	35
Dicalcium phosphate	15.2	16.4
Limestone	9.9	7.6
Salt	6	5
L-Lysine HCl, 78%	0.5	1.2
Vitamin and mineral premix^a	2	2
Calculated Nutrient
ME, MJ/kg	13.19	13.44
Analysed nutrients, g/kg
Crude protein	131	171
Crude fat	68.9	91
Lysine	6.5	10
Calcium	8.7	8.5
Phosphorus	7.6	7.3

^aSupplied premix per kg of diet: 3 mg vitamin A (Retinol); 0.05 mg vitamin D₃ (cholecalciferol); 0.0432 mg vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol acetate); 1.5 mg vitamin K₃ (bisulphatemenadione complex); 6 mg vitamin B₂ (riboflavin); 40 mg vitamin B₃ (niacin); 17 mg vitamin B₅ (D-Ca pantothenic); 0.2 mg vitamin B₇ (biotin) 2 mg vitamin B₉ (folic acid); 166 mg B-complex vitamins (choline chloride); 2 mg vitamin B₆ (pyridoxine·HCl); 28 μg vitamin B₁₂(cyanocobalamine). 90 mg Fe (FeSO₄·7H₂O); 15 mg Cu (CuSO₄·5H₂O); 50 mg Zn (ZnSO₄); 54 mg Mn (MnO₂); 0.99 mg I (KI); 0.25 mg Se (Na₂SeO₃·5H₂O).

Table 2. Effects of micro-encapsulated organic acids and essential oils (MOE) on growth performance traits in sows^a.

	Treatment					p Value
Traits	CON	MOE1	MOE2		SEM	Linear	Quadratic
Number of Sows	20	20	20
Litter size, number/litter
Total born	11.49	11.28	11.64		1.14	.65	.71
Born alive	11.31	11.14	11.46		0.52	.81	.58
After cross-foster	10.18	10.42	10.32		0.18	.47	.28
Weaned pigs	9.89	10.24	10.26		0.99	.68	.64
Body weight, kg
Before farrowing^b	245.5	248.8	254.6		2.95	.014	.812
After farrowing	201.9	198.2	215.1		3.10	<.0001	.0008
Weanling (day 25)	180.4	181.5	197.3		3.20	<.0001	.001
Body weight loss^c	20.3	16.7	17.8		1.85	.063	.785
ADFI (average daily feed intake), kg
Gestation	2.48	2.41	2.32		0.05	.095	1.000
1 week	4.10	4.39	4.20		0.25	.980	.278
2 weeks	7.09	7.16	6.08		0.78	.057	.197
3 weeks	6.79	7.46	6.71		0.67	.559	.217
Weanling (day 25)	7.23	7.93	7.38		0.49	.924	.190
Lactation	6.23	6.61	6.06		0.49	.383	.205
Back-fat thickness, mm
Before farrowing^b	17.8	19.8	18.3		0.96	.708	.130
After farrowing	17.2	18.8	17.0		1.10	.711	.212
Weanling (day 25)	12.8	14.3	12.3		1.10	.658	.326
Back-fat thickness loss^d	4.4	4.5	4.8		0.71	.237	.874
Weaning to oestrus interval, d	4.4	4.75	4.5		0.22	.869	.280

Significant values (p < .05) indicated in bold.

^aSixty sows with an average parity of 1.5 (SD =0.41). CON: Basal diet; MOE1: CON +0.05% MOE; MOE2: CON +0.10% MOE; SEM: standard error of mean.

^bSeven days before farrowing.

^cBody weight loss: from farrowing to weanling.

^dBack-fat thickness loss: from farrowing to weanling.

Table 3. Effects of micro-encapsulated organic acids and essential oils (MOE) on growth performance in piglets^a.

	Treatment				p Value
Traits	CON	MOE1	MOE2	SEM	Linear	Quadratic
Piglet survival, %	93.6	95.2	96.8	3.28	.526	.581
Body weight, kg
Birth weight	1.49	1.51	1.48	0.09	.0001	.002
Day 7	2.71	2.76	3.00	0.24	.0007	.024
Day 14	4.34	4.27	4.57	0.45	.024	.179
Day 21	6.00	5.88	6.54	0.57	.0001	.0001
25 days	7.13	7.00	7.88	0.63	.0001	.0001
ADG (average daily gain), g
Birth to day 7	175	178	218	24	.290	.515
Day 8 to 14	232	215	227	31	.457	.842
Day 15 to 21	237	230	269	22	.761	.961
Day 22 to 25	270	281	333	38	.019	.193
Overall	225	219	253	23	.002	.067

Significant values (p < .05) indicated in bold.

^aCON: Basal diet; MOE1: CON +0.05% MOE; MOE2: CON +0.10% MOE; SEM: standard error of mean.

Table 4. Effects of micro-encapsulated organic acids and essential oils (MOE) on apparent total tract digestibility of nutrient in sows^a.

	Treatments				p Value
Traits, %	CON	MOE1	MOE2	SEM	Linear	Quadratic
Dry matter	72.86	73.81	73.94	0.57	.046	.379
Nitrogen	77.69	77.90	78.23	0.78	.577	.944
Gross Energy	71.26	73.06	72.15	0.76	.294	.070

Significant values (p < .05) indicated in bold.

^aCON: Basal diet; MOE1: CON +0.05% MOE; MOE2: CON +0.10% MOE; SEM: standard error of mean.

Figure 1. Effects of micro-encapsulated organic acids and essential oils (MOE) on the number of diarrhoea piglets (A) and their diarrhoea scores (B). CON - Basal diet; MOE1 - CON +0.05% MOE; MOE2 - CON +0.10% MOE; ^a,b,abMeans in the same day with different superscript differ significantly (p < .05).