Effects of Supplementation with a Quebracho Tannin Product as an Alternative to Antibiotics on Growth Performance, Diarrhea, and Overall Health in Early-Weaned Piglets
Min Ma,
James K. Chambers,
Kazuyuki Uchida,
Masanori Ikeda,
Makiko Watanabe,
Yuki Goda,
Daisuke Yamanaka,
Shin-Ichiro Takahashi,
Masayoshi Kuwahara,
Junyou Li
Affiliations
Min Ma
Animal Resource Science Center, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Kasama 3190206, Japan
James K. Chambers
Laboratory of Veterinary Pathology, Graduate School of Agriculture and Life Science, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 1138657, Japan
Kazuyuki Uchida
Laboratory of Veterinary Pathology, Graduate School of Agriculture and Life Science, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 1138657, Japan
Masanori Ikeda
Animal Resource Science Center, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Kasama 3190206, Japan
Makiko Watanabe
Animal Resource Science Center, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Kasama 3190206, Japan
Yuki Goda
Laboratory of Cell Regulation, Graduate School of Agriculture and Life Science, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 1138657, Japan
Daisuke Yamanaka
Laboratory of Food and Physiological Models, Graduate School of Agriculture and Life Science, The University of Tokyo, Kasama 3190206, Japan
Shin-Ichiro Takahashi
Laboratory of Cell Regulation, Graduate School of Agriculture and Life Science, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 1138657, Japan
Masayoshi Kuwahara
Veterinary Pathophysiology and Animal Health, Graduate School of Agriculture and Life Science, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 1138657, Japan
Junyou Li
Animal Resource Science Center, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Kasama 3190206, Japan
This study assessed the feasibility of using a vegetable extract, MGM-P (quebracho tannin product), as an alternative to antibiotics for weaned piglets; it investigated MGM-P effects on growth performance, diarrhea, and overall health in early-weaned piglets. In total, 24 piglets were allocated to three treatment groups fed basal diets supplemented with 0, 0.2%, or 0.3% MGM-P for 20 days. The addition of 0.3% MGM-P to the diet of early-weaned piglets improved diarrhea incidence, hematological parameters, and intestinal mucosa structure. Furthermore, the addition of 0.2% or 0.3% MGM-P to the diet of early-weaned piglets did not affect their overall health. Importantly, MGM-P had no effects on average daily gain (ADG), average daily feed intake (ADFI), or feed conversion ratio (FCR). Gut morphology analysis showed that treatment with 0.3% MGM-P enhanced the jejunal villus height (p p p < 0.05). Collectively, the findings suggested that the use of MGM-P as an alternative to dietary antibiotics could improve diarrhea incidence in early-weaned piglets without negative effects on growth performance or overall health.
