NUTRITION ▶▶▶
Does a lower stomach pH improve performance?
What physiological factors within the piglet’s immature gastrointestinal tract contribute to weaning challenges and how can they be managed? A meta-analysis shows that water supplementation with organic acids can set a piglet up for improved growth performance by optimising stomach pH levels.
BY DR JESSIKA VAN LEEUWEN, GLOBAL PROGRAM MANAGER, SWINE HEALTH AND DR LANE PINEDA, RESEARCHER, PRODUCT VALIDATION R&D, TROUW NUTRITION
R
egardless of a piglet’s vitality at farrowing, all piglets undergo gastrointestinal challenges during the post-weaning phase. The switch from sow milk to a commercial piglet diet stresses a piglet’s limited di-
gestive capacity, resulting in undigested proteins reaching the hind gut – an ideal situation for various pathogens to pro- liferate. Consequently, piglets’ nutrient utilisation immediate- ly after weaning is low, and performance drops.
How do pH levels support digestion? The enzymes in the stomach that digest protein – such as pepsin – require a low pH level to activate. In suckling piglets, high levels of lactate in sow’s milk inhibit hydrochloric acid (HCI) secretion, but lactate keeps the stom- ach at low pH levels to support efficient digestion of milk’s
Figure 1 - Effect of pH on the activity of pepsin. Trypsin
Pepsin A piglet drinking water (not related to the trials in the article).
nutrients. However, at weaning, several factors, including new feed, can contribute to an increased stomach pH – often at levels above pH 5.0. The optimal stomach pH level for converting pepsinogen into pepsin (an enzyme that digests protein) is around 2.0–3.5 (Figure 1). During the first three to four weeks of life, the HCl production of piglets is not yet sufficient (Figure 2) and pepsin activity only increases from five to six weeks (one to three weeks post-weaning, depending on weaning age). Therefore, extra support is required during the first weeks following weaning to achieve adequate stomach acidification to support protein digestion. Researchers sought to investigate the role of a wa- ter acidifier in supporting an optimal pH in piglets’ stomachs. The research below presents a meta-analysis evaluating the role of a water acidifier in reducing stomach pH and improv- ing piglet growth performance.
Source: Adapted from Jansen et al. 4
0 2 6 pH 8 10
The effect of an acidifier on piglet growth Nine scientific studies conducted in six countries (Canada, the Netherlands, United Kingdom, China, Vietnam and Brazil) across vastly different geographies were combined in a me- ta-analysis to evaluate the effect of water acidifier supple- mentation on the growth performance of nursery piglets. In total, 2,068 weaned piglets (7.3kg initial body weight, 25 days of age) were assigned to one of two treatments:
▶ PIG PROGRESS | Volume 37, No. 2, 2021 37
Relative activity
PHOTO: DREAMSTIME
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