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A standardized protected blend of phytogenics improves performance of lactating sows
In monogastric animals, a standardized blend of capsicum oleoresin, cinnamaldehyde and carvacrol (XT, XTRACT® 6930, Pancosma) was shown to positively affect fat digestibility and gut immune modulation, resulting in enhanced available nutrients, better gut integrity and health, and finally in more energy available for production. Given these modes of action, XT should be beneficial to the performance of lactating sows. Therefore a study was designed was to evaluate the effect of XT supplementation on performance of sows raised under commercial conditions. A total of 428 sows were randomly allocated from 15 days before farrowing until piglets’ weaning to one of the two treatments: CT: basal diet and XT: basal diet supplemented with 100 g/t XT. Animals had ad libitum access to feed and water. Sows’ ADFI during gestation and lactation, backfat loss during lactation and weaning to estrus interval were individually recorded. Piglet birth weight, number of piglets born alive and the weights of piglets at birth weaning were evaluated per sow. Results were statistically analyzed by ANOVA, using the treatment, the parity and their interaction as fixed effects. XT did not affect sow ADFI during gestation and lactation, backfat loss and piglets’ weight gain during suckling (P = 0.28). However, XT significantly increased the number of piglets born alive by 0.75 piglets/sow (P = 0.01). The treatment*parity interaction had an effect on lactation ADFI and weaning to estrus interval. More specifically, XT increased ADFI during lactation of primiparous sows compared to CT (+4.5%, P = 0.03) and not in multiparous (mean: 6.2 kg/h/d, P = 0.96). Finally, XT decreased the weaning to estrus interval by 1.6 days in multiparous sows (P = 0.03), but had no effect on this outcome in first parity animals (mean 5.5 days, P= 0.40). These results suggest that XT has the potential to improve sow performance during lactation under commercial conditions via more piglets born alive for all the sows, a higher intake of primiparous sows and a reduced weaning to estrus interval in multiparous animals.
Keywords: phytonutrients, sow performance