Effects of dietary supplementation of quillaja saponin or fructooligosaccharide and a mixture of both on the growth performance, nutrient utilisation, faecal microbial and faecal noxious gas emissions in growing pigs

Figures & data

Table 1. Composition of finishing pig diets (as fed-basis).

Ingredients, %	Content
Corn	64.19
Soybean meal	17.43
Sesame meal	2.00
Distillers dried grains with soluble (Corn, USA)	4.00
Palm kernel meal	2.00
Condensed molasses soluble	1.50
Lipid	4.20
Molasses	1.50
Limestone	1.06
Dicalcium phosphate	0.31
Salt	0.35
Methionine, 99%	0.14
Lysine, 50%	0.71
Threonine, 98.5%	0.14
Tryptophan, 20%	0.25
Vitamin mix^a	0.10
Mineral mix^a	0.10
Phytase	0.01
Total	100.00
Calculated value, %
Moisture	13.29
Crude protein	15.87
Crude fat	7.17
Crude fibre	2.55
Crude ash	4.55
Digestible non starch polysaccharide	121
Digestible energy (kcal kg^−1)	2471
Calcium	0.70
Total Phosphorus	0.38
SID Lysine^b	1.07

^aProvided per kilogram of complete diet: vitamin A, 11,025 IU; vitamin D₃, 1750 IU; vitamin E, 44 IU; vitamin K, 4.4 mg; riboflavin, 8.3 mg; niacin, 50 mg; thiamine, 4 mg; d-pantothenic acid, 29 mg; choline, 166 mg and vitamin B₁₂, 33 μg. Fe (as FeSO₄ × 7H₂O), 80 mg; Cu (as CuSO₄ × 5H₂O), 12 mg; Zn (as ZnSO₄), 85 mg; Mn (as MnO₂), 8 mg; I (as KI), 0.28 mg and Se (as Na₂SeO₃ × 5H₂O), 0.15 mg.

^bStandardised ileal digestible lysine.

Table 2. Effects of dietary supplementation of quillaja saponin or fructooligosaccharide and a mixture of both on the growth performance in growing pigs.

Items	Ctrl	QS	FOS	QSFOS	SEM^2	p-Value
Body weight, kg
Day 0	23.840	23.820	23.820	23.820	0.010	1.000
Day 28	43.770	44.110	44.060	44.230	0.300	<.0001
Day 56	66.230	67.090	66.800	67.470	0.510	0.002
Days 0–28
ADG, g	712	725	723	729	11.000	0.755
ADFI, g	1634	1652	1653	1666	19.000	0.698
FCR	2.295	2.281	2.287	2.286	0.012	0.695
Days 28–56
ADG, g	802^b	856^a	840^ab	882^a	14.000	0.013
ADFI, g	2058^b	2187^a	2185^a	2246^a	24.000	0.012
FCR	2.566	2.551	2.560	2.533	0.021	0.332
Days 0–56
ADG, g	757^b	791^ab	782^ab	805^a	9.000	0.018
ADFI, g	1846^b	1920^a	1919^a	1956^a	14.000	0.013
FCR	2.438	2.424	2.431	2.417	0.013	0.378

Abbreviations. ADG: average daily gain; ADFI: average daily feed intake; FCR: feed conversion ratio; Ctrl: basal diet; QS: quillaja saponin; FOS: fructooligosaccharide; SEM: standard error of the mean.

^a,bMeans in the same row with different superscript differ significantly (p < 0.05).

Table 3. Effects of dietary supplementation of quillaja saponin or fructooligosaccharide and a mixture of both on the nutrient digestibility in growing pigs.

Items, %	Ctrl	QS	FOS	QSFOS	SEM^2	p-Value
Day 28
Dry matter	77.14	78.10	78.89	78.49	0.80	0.425
Nitrogen	75.57	76.65	77.86	76.64	0.78	0.336
Day 56
Dry matter	72.51^b	76.57^ab	76.36^ab	77.60^a	1.13	0.030
Nitrogen	72.27^b	74.78^ab	76.03^a	76.57^a	1.21	0.036

Abbreviations: Ctrl: basal diet; QS: quillaja saponin; FOS: fructooligosaccharide; SEM: standard error of the mean.

^a,bMeans in the same row with different superscript differ significantly (p < 0.05).

Table 4. Effects of dietary supplementation of quillaja saponin or fructooligosaccharide and a mixture of both on the on faecal microbial in growing pigs.

Items, log10cfu/g	Ctrl	QS	FOS	QSFOS	SEM^2	p-Value
Day 0
Lactobacillus	6.90	6.95	7.01	6.97	0.04	0.946
E. coli	5.84	5.94	5.95	5.94	0.05	0.132
Day 28
Lactobacillus	7.02^b	7.08^ab	7.14^a	7.15^a	0.03	0.048
E. coli	5.99^a	5.80^b	5.77^b	5.76^b	0.06	0.024
Day 56
Lactobacillus	7.13^b	7.21^ab	7.26^ab	7.28^a	0.04	0.033
E. coli	6.20^a	6.00^ab	6.05^ab	5.98^b	0.09	0.043

Abbreviations: Ctrl: basal diet; QS: quillaja saponin; FOS: fructooligosaccharide; SEM: Standard error of the mean.

^a,bMeans in the same row with different superscript differ significantly (p < 0.05).

Table 5. Effects of dietary supplementation of quillaja saponin or fructooligosaccharide and a mixture of both on the gas emission in growing pigs.

Items, ppm	Ctrl	QS	FOS	QSFOS	SEM^2	p-Value
Day 0
Methyl mercaptans	4.85	4.55	4.18	4.25	1.28	0.995
NH3	2.08	2.08	2.20	2.25	0.59	0.999
H2S	5.10	5.30	5.50	5.60	0.40	0.933
CO2	1325	1375	1350	1375	245	1.000
Acetic acid	4.80	4.40	5.00	4.80	1.00	0.703
Day 28
Methyl mercaptans	4.95	5.05	4.93	5.05	0.58	0.191
NH3	2.88^a	2.63^ab	2.35^b	2.10^b	0.32	0.010
H2S	6.20	5.70	5.30	5.80	0.60	0.227
CO2	1525^a	1410^b	1450^ab	1400^b	243	0.034
Acetic acid	5.80	5.90	5.20	3.80	0.70	0.333
Day 56
Methyl mercaptans	6.13	5.08	5.08	5.20	1.07	0.989
NH3	3.12^a	1.47^b	2.00^ab	1.37^b	0.49	0.054
H2S	7.00	7.40	6.50	6.20	0.80	0.806
CO2	1675^a	1575^b	1625^ab	1550^b	248	0.048
Acetic acid	6.00	5.40	5.20	5.00	0.80	0.890

Abbreviations: Ctrl: basal diet; QS: quillaja saponin; FOS: fructooligosaccharide; NH₃: ammonia; H₂S: hydrogen sulphide; CO₂: carbon dioxide; SEM: standard error of the mean.

^a,bMeans in the same row with different superscript differ significantly (p < 0.05).

Data availability statement

The data presented in this study are available on request from the corresponding author.