The influence of ergot-contaminated feed on growth and slaughtering performance, nutrient digestibility and carry over of ergot alkaloids in growing-finishing pigs

Abstract

Diets containing 0, 1 and 10 g ergot (Claviceps purpurea) per kg, corresponding to mean total alkaloid contents of 0.05, 0.60 and 4.66 mg/kg (sums of ergometrine, ergotamine, ergocornine, α-ergocryptine, ergocristine, ergosine and their -inine isomers analysed by a HPLC-method), were each fed ad libitum to 12 pigs in the BW range of 30–115 kg to study the effect of ergot-contaminated feed on growth and slaughtering performance and the carry over of ergot alkaloids. Additionally, balance trials were conducted to investigate the digestibility of nutrients. Tendencies towards reduced feed intake and BWG were observed at a feeding level of 4.66 mg total alkaloids per kg diet. Typical symptoms of ergot poisoning were not observed. Heart and spleen weights showed significant linear increases. Differences in carcass quality due to dietary treatment were not detected. No genuine ergot alkaloids were found in physiological samples. The balance trials demonstrated a significantly decreased protein digestibility for the most highly supplemented diet.

Keywords:

• Ergot
• alkaloids
• pigs
• performance
• digestibility
• carry over

Acknowledgements

Appreciation is expressed to the co-workers of the Public Institute for Agriculture and Gardening in Saxony-Anhalt in Iden and of the Institute of Animal Nutrition (FAL) in Celle and Braunschweig for assistance with data collection, analyses and animal care. Furthermore, P. Aldag and F. Elsaesser of the Institute for Animal Breeding (FAL) in Mariensee are gratefully acknowledged for determination of serum pGH concentrations. We are thankful to the Wilhelm Schaumann Foundation for supporting the experiments and the Lochow Petkus GmbH, Bergen for providing the ergot.