How Is the Effect of Phytogenic Feed Supplementation Tested in Heat Stressed Pigs? Methodological and Sampling Considerations
Ildikó Jócsák,
János Tossenberger,
György Végvári,
Gergő Sudár,
Éva Varga-Visi,
Tamás Tóth
Affiliations
Ildikó Jócsák
Laboratory Network of Agricultural and Food Sciences, Molecular Biology Laboratory, Kaposvár University, 7400 Kaposvár, Hungary
János Tossenberger
Institute of Nutrition and Product Development Sciences, Department of Animal Nutrition, Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Kaposvár University, 7400 Kaposvár, Hungary
György Végvári
Institute of Physiology, Biochemistry and Animal Hygiene, Department of Physiology and Animal Hygiene, Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Kaposvár University, 7400 Kaposvár, Hungary
Gergő Sudár
Institute of Nutrition and Product Development Sciences, Department of Animal Nutrition, Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Kaposvár University, 7400 Kaposvár, Hungary
Éva Varga-Visi
Institute of Physiology, Biochemistry and Animal Hygiene, Department of Physiology and Animal Hygiene, Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Kaposvár University, 7400 Kaposvár, Hungary
Tamás Tóth
Institute of Nutrition and Product Development Sciences, Department of Animal Nutrition, Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Kaposvár University, 7400 Kaposvár, Hungary
Climate change will lead to increasingly hot summers where the temperature rises above the thermoneutral range of pigs; as a result, they get exposed to heat stress. One of the most damaging consequences of long-lasting heat stress is oxidative stress arising from the increasing level of reactive oxygen species. In order to eliminate oxidative stress, metabolites that are needed for maintaining life and growth may get depleted, which, in chronic cases in particular, negatively affects the economy of meat production. The effect of plant-originated phytogenic feed additives with high antioxidant content may be beneficial to pigs in reducing the effects of oxidative stress induced by heat stress. In this study, a range of methods that assess the effects of phytogenic feed additives on heat stress are reviewed. The main focus is presenting an overview of the investigational possibilities of the antioxidative system and feed uptake and utilization via traditional methods and molecular biological investigations. Furthermore, methodological aspects of sampling are taken into consideration in order to select the best methods for determining the effect of phytogenic feed supplementation on heat-stressed pigs.
