Effects of Lactobacillus acidophilus fermentation product on growth performance, nutrient digestibility, and fecal microbiota in weanling pigs

Abstract Text: Concerns of bacteria resistance to antibiotics and general human health issue, urged researches to find alternatives to reduce pathogen infection and improve animal health especially around the time of weanling. We conducted this study to evaluate the effects of LAFP (Lactobacillus acidophilus fermentation product; SynGenX^®, Diamond V, Cedar Rapids, IA) on growth performance, nutrient digestibility, fecal microbiota and noxious gas emissions in weanling pigs. 140 pigs [(Yorkshire × Landrace) × Duroc] weaned at 25d of age and weighting 7.15±0.21kg were fed 1 of 4 treatments for 6-week. Dietary treatment groups were: (1) CON, basal diet; (2) T1, CON + 1g/kg of LAFP; (3) T2, CON + 2g/kg of LAFP; (4) T3, CON + 3g/kg of LAFP. All pigs were feed in two dietary phases (Phase 1: d 1 to 14 and Phase 2: 15 to 42). Pigs were housed 5/pen with 7 replicates/treatment. Pigs were weighed on d 0, 14, and 42 while feed consumption was recorded to calculate ADG, ADFI, and G:F. Fresh fecal samples were obtained on d 14 and 42 to determine the ATTD of DM, GE, and N by adding 0.2% chromium oxide. One gram of fecal sample was diluted with 9 mL of 1% peptone broth and then homogenized. Viable counts of bacteria were conducted by plating serial 10-fold dilutions onto agar plates. All data were subjected to the mixed procedure of SAS. Orthogonal polynomials were used to assess the linear, quadratic and cubic effects of increasing dietary supplementation of LAFP. During the overall period, there was a significant linear improvement (P<0.05) in ADG associated with the inclusion of LAFP. This resulted in a linear improvement on d 42 BW (P<0.05). D 42 BW for CON, T1, T2, and T3 were 26.46, 27.65, 27.72, and 27.81 kg, respectively. On d 14, there was a significant linear improvement (P<0.05) in DM digestibility, as well as a significant quadratic improvement in nitrogen digestibility associated with the inclusion of LAFP. On d 42, there was a significant linear improvement (P<0.05) in fecal lactobacillus counts, as well as a significant linear decrease in E.colicounts associated with the inclusion of LAFP. The results of this study demonstrate that feeding LAFP can improve growth performance, digestibility and increase the gut balance of weanling pigs. 

Keywords: Lactobacillus acidophilus fermentation product, growth performance, weanling pigs