Dietary Supplementation of Curcuma Longa by Bioconversion Technology Improved Growth Performance and Digestibility in Weanling Pigs

Abstract Text: Bioconversion technology is a unique processing technology, by which immune activity is dramatically increased. A total of 150 weanling pigs [(Yorkshire × Landrace) × Duroc, BW = 8.48 ± 1.65 kg] were used in a 5-week trial to investigate the effect of supplements of Curcuma longa L and mulberry leaves produced by bioconversion technology on growth performance, digestibility, blood characteristics, fecal microbiota, fecal pH, fecal moisture, and serum FMD antibody. All these weanling pigs were randomly allotted into 1 of the 6 experimental diets according to their initial BW and sex (6 replicate pens per treatment and 5 pigs per pen). Dietary treatments are as following: NC: basal diet; PC1: NC + 0.1% Doctor immune 1 (a bioconversion product of naturally-sourced rice bran and cultured mycelia of medicinal mushrooms); PC2: NC + 0.1% bonvital (Enterococcus faecium DSM 7134, 1.0×10¹⁰cfu/g; Morningbio Co., Ltd., Cheonan, Korea); STR1-1, NC + 0.1% Development material 1-1 (the bioconversion of the cultured Tilia taquetii celia product of Phellinus linteus, which is cultured with naturally-sourced leaves of Tilia taquetii); STR1-2, NC + 0.1% Development material 1-2 (the bioconversion of the cultured mycelia product of Phellinus linteus, which is cultured with naturally-sourced roots of Curcuma longa L); STR2, NC + 0.1% Development material 2 (Benelenti-CCL, made from the bioconversion product of naturally-sourced, Curcuma longa L and cultured mycelia of medicinal mushrooms). Pigs fed STR2 diet had higher average daily gain (ADG; P<0.05; 307 vs. 267 g) and gain/feed (G/F; 0.903 vs. 0.809) during d 1 to 14, and higher ADG (P<0.05; 429 vs. 373 g) during d 1 to 35 than those fed NC diet. Dietary supplementation in the STR2 diet increased digestibility of dry matter (P<0.05; 83.35 vs. 80.53%) compared with NC diet during the 2^nd wk. In conclusion, results indicate that supplementation of Curcuma longa L produced by bioconversion technology can improve growth performance and digestibility in weanling pigs. 

Keywords: bioconversion technology, growth performance, weanling pig