The Effect of Feeding Ambitine™FA on Growth Performance and Carcass Characteristics of Finishing Pigs.

Two studies were carried out to determine the effect of feeding Ambitine™FA (blend of plant extracts and acidifiers), on growth performance and carcass characteristics of finishing pigs. Both studies used a RCBD with 2 treatments: Control (no Ambitine™FA); Ambitine™FA (0.10% dietary inclusion). Study 1 and 2 used 1,610 (23 replicates) and 4,682 (68 replicates) barrows and gilts, respectively, in single-sex groups of 35. Ambitine™FA was included in the final, or final 2 dietary phases in Study 1 and 2, respectively. Experimental diets were fed for approximately 28 and 49 d between start and end BW of 103.1 ± 4.75 kg to 128.0 ± 2.59 kg and 89.4 ± 2.29 kg to 121.9 ± 4.16 kg for Study 1 and 2, respectively. Diets were formulated to a constant standardized ileal digestible lysine:ME ratio within each dietary phase and to meet or exceed nutrient requirements of NRC (2012). Pigs had ad libitum access to feed and water. At the end of each study, pigs were sent to a commercial facility for harvest and collection of carcass measurements in 2 groups/pen. The heaviest 50% of pigs was sent at mean pen weights of 117.0 ± 2.5 kg and 108.0 ± 2.0 kg BW for Study 1 and 2, respectively, and the remaining 50% of pigs was sent 14 d later. Ractopamine hydrochloride (7.4 ppm) was fed during the final 28 d of the study period to pigs on both treatments in both studies (14 d for the 1^st group and 28 d for the 2^nd group). The pen of pigs was the experimental unit; data were analyzed using PROC MIXED of SAS; the model accounted for the effects of treatment, block, and replicate. Compared to Control, feeding the blend of plant extracts and acidifiers had no effect (P > 0.05) on ADFI in either study, increased ADG in Study 1 (1.12 vs 1.17 kg; SEM 0.015; P = 0.02) but not Study 2 (0.76 vs 0.77 kg; SEM 0.010; P = 0.16) and increased G:F in both studies (0.405 vs 0.418 kg:kg; SEM 0.0047; P = 0.02 and 0.362 vs 0.368 kg:kg; SEM 0.0028; P = 0.02 for Study 1 and Study 2, respectively). There was no effect (P > 0.05) of feeding the blend on carcass measurements. The results of these studies suggest that feeding this blend of plant extracts and acidifiers during finishing improves feed efficiency and can improve growth rate.