PSI-19 - Growth performance of weaned pigs fed Jerusalem Artichoke tubers

Abstract: Recent studies have shown that prebiotics have been able to positively affect growth of beneficial bacteria, indices of gut health, and growth performance in pigs. This type of research is important to identify alternative methods for maintaining herd health other than antimicrobial usage. Jerusalem Artichoke tubers were chosen due to their relatively high amount of inulin (~60%) as compared to other prebiotic crops (i.e., chicory pulp - ~20% inulin). The objective of this work was to evaluate growth performance of weaned pigs fed Jerusalem Artichoke tubers. Sixty-four pigs approximately 21 days of age, weighing six kilograms each were used to test four dietary treatments with four pens per treatment (two barrows and two gilts per pen). Dietary treatments were randomly allocated to pens following a completely randomized design in a three-phase feeding trial. Diet treatments consisted of a corn-soybean meal basal diet (control) meeting the nutrient requirements for weanling pigs and three treatment diets with ground Jerusalem Artichoke tubers replacing corn at the rate of 0.05%, 0.5%, and 5.0% (JA-low, JA-mid, and JA-high, respectively) through all three phases. The pigs were allowed three days to acclimate to the facility following arrival (days -3 to -1). The trial ran from Day 0 to Day 35. Growth performance data was collected on days 0, 7, 14, 21, 28, and 35. Blood samples were obtained on days 0, 7, 14, and 28. Fecal samples were collected on days 0, 14, and 28. PROC GLIMMIX in SAS was utilized to analyze the growth performance data. Results indicate greater (P < 0.001) gain to feed ratio (G:F) at week two for JA-high and JA-mid pigs compared to all other treatments. No differences were observed for overall BW (25.14, 25.48, 21.8, 22.83 kg), ADG (0.52, 0.52, 0.51, 0.47 kg/d), or ADFI (0.73, 0.74, 0.71, 0.72 kg/d), respectively, for control, JA-low, JA-mid, and JA-high fed pigs. The growth data suggests that Jerusalem Artichoke tubers may be included in weaned pig diets without negative effects on growth performance; however, these results need to be interpreted in conjunction with the pending analyses to provide a comprehensive look at the role of prebiotic fiber in the pig’s gastrointestinal tract. Future analyses will include evaluation of serum biomarkers (e.g., intestinal fatty acid binding protein as a measure of intestinal epithelial cell damage) and microbiome profiling via 16S microbial sequencing to assess gut health. It is important to note that our study population experienced morbidity and mortality (Trueperella pyogenes was cultured from one pig submitted for necropsy) and the decision was made to prophylactically treat the herd with ceftiofur on day seven following sample collection to prevent additional loss.