Effect of dietary supplementation with essential oils and a Bacillus probiotic on growth performance, diarrhoea and blood metabolites in weaned pigs
B. F. Tan A , T. Lim A and W. Boontiam
B C D
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A Kemin Industries (Asia) Pte. Limited, 12 Senoko Drive, 758200, Singapore.
B Faculty of Agriculture, Department of Animal Science, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen, 40002, Thailand.
C Faculty of Agricultural Technology, Department of Animal Production Technology,King Mongkut’s Institute of Technology Ladkrabang, Bangkok, 10520, Thailand.
D Corresponding author. Email: waewbo@kku.ac.th
Animal Production Science 61(1) 64-71 https://doi.org/10.1071/AN18752
Submitted: 17 December 2018 Accepted: 9 August 2020 Published: 10 September 2020
Journal Compilation © CSIRO 2021 Open Access CC BY-NC-ND
Abstract
Context: Dietary supplementation of essential oils or in combination with a Bacillus probiotic was investigated as an antibiotic growth promoter for weaned pigs.
Aims: To evaluate the effect of essential oils (i.e. thymol and carvacrol mixture) or in combination with a probiotic strain (i.e. Bacillus subtilis PB6) on the growth performance, diarrhoea incidence, ammonia emission and serological profiles of weaned pigs.
Methods: A total of 96 crossbred ([Yorkshire × Landrace] × Duroc) weaned pigs were randomly allotted to one of six treatments based on sex and initial bodyweight. Each group was distributed into four replicates with four pigs each according to a randomised complete block design. The treatments were: (i) positive control, basal diet supplemented with colistin 150 g/tonne and amoxicillin 200 g/tonne; (ii) negative control, basal diet without supplementation; (iii) T3, basal diet supplemented with essential oils 300 g/tonne; (iv) T4, basal diet supplemented with essential oils 600 g/tonne; (v) T5, basal diet supplemented with essential oils 1000 g/tonne; and (vi) T6, basal diet supplemented with essential oils 300 g/tonne diet and Bacillus probiotics 1000 g/tonne.
Key results: The piglets fed with supplements had a significantly higher average daily gain and lower incidence of diarrhoea than the piglets in the negative control (P = 0.001). Feeding the essential oils alone or in combination with probiotics significantly reduced faecal ammonia emission (P = 0.027) and blood urea nitrogen (P = 0.039), while markedly increasing the serum immunoglobulin G concentration of weaned pigs compared with the negative control treatment (P = 0.014). The difference in time of blood collection had significant effects on blood urea nitrogen and immunoglobulins (P = 0.001). However, no significant differences emerged in average daily feed intake, gain : feed ratio, feed efficiency and antibody against swine fever among the treatments.
Conclusions: Diet supplementation with essential oils or in combination with probiotics improved growth performance and immunity, and lowered ammonia emissions and diarrhoea incidence of weaned pigs.
Implications: These findings provide a basis for the application of phytogenic compounds and probiotics as antibiotic growth promoter alternatives in post-weaning diets for pigs.
Additional keywords: classical swine fever virus, gas emission, immunity.
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