PHOTO: RONALD HISSINK
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Vitamin and mineral levels in pig diets
A close look at the situation in China and Brazil shows that supplementation levels of vitamins and minerals in pig diets are vastly different from the national recommendations. Here’s a look at why, and what the ramifications are for both countries.
BY TREENA HEIN, CORRESPONDENT A
team of Chinese researchers recently published a survey of vitamin and mineral supplementation among producers representing about 90% of Chi- na’s national pig herd. What did they find?
It’s not too surprising that there is a wide variation in the amount of vitamins (A, D, E, K, B12, pantothenic acid, niacin and choline) and minerals (copper, manganese, zinc and io- dine) being given to pigs across China. After all, the vitamin and mineral content of other components of the diet can vary, along with their availability and other factors. However, it may seem surprising that the levels of most vita- mins and minerals being given to pigs in China are “far above” the recommendations published by China’s National Research Council and in the China Feeding Standard for Swine.
Supplementation in Brazil The results are similar in Brazil. A survey there also found large variations in supplementation of most of the typical vitamins and minerals in that country, especially in the
Table 1 – The antioxidant effects of some natural compounds.
Active ingredients Experimental model Resveratrol
Curcumin
Intrauterine growth retardation piglets
Doses
Diquat-induced intestinal 100 mg/kg, barrier function in piglets 14-day
400 mg/kg, 24-day
Efficacy protecting the intestinal
barrier antioxidant capacity l ^ alleviating mitochondrial damage growth performance l ^
hepatic antioxidant capacity l ^ Nrf2 and Hmox1 levels l ^
The orginal table, with a review of other plant-based compounds can be found in the article ‘Research Progress on Oxidative Stress and Its Nutritional Regulation Strategies in Pigs’ publiced in Journal Animals May 2021
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water-soluble vitamins such as B. In addition, similarly to what is occurring in China, average vitamin and mineral levels given to pigs across the Brazilian pork industry are much higher – between 40% and 240% higher – than the national recommendations. It’s not clear why levels of vitamin and mineral supplementa- tion across the world’s two largest pork-producing countries are much higher than industry guidelines. But what is certain is that there would not be such high levels of vitamin and mineral supplementation unless it was needed for good pig performance. From this conclusion, it’s logical to surmise that the current level of oxidative stress being experienced by today’s pigs – which vitamin and mineral supplementation counteracts – is higher than ever.
Oxidative stress Oxidative stress in pigs is associated with diseases and clinical conditions such as endotoxaemia or septic shock, respiratory infections and Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syn- drome (PRRS) as well as being associated with stressful mo- ments in the pig’s life where the physiological state of the an- imal is disrupted, explains Fellipe Freitas Barbosa, team lead global technical management for swine at EW Nutrition. “It is quite clear that pigs are exposed to various types of stress during their life,” he says. “There is dietary, social and environ- mental stress and metabolic stress to achieve higher and higher performance levels.” In a 2021 review of oxidative stress sources in pigs and how this stress should be studied and mitigated, Chinese scientists also caution that giving too much of the amino acid methio- nine in the diet can also result in oxidative stress. Barbosa notes that some life stages of the pig are especially stressful, such as weaning. In the life of sows, two stages stand out. “It’s been shown that oxidative stress and oxidative DNA damage increase dramatically during late gestation and lactation,” he explains. “The shift from anabolic to catabolic metabolism is a huge burden for the animal. Similarly to what has been observed in dairy cows, there is a dramatic increase in energy utilisation needed to support the onset of milk syn- thesis, especially since piglet numbers are increasing and more milk is needed. Several metabolic reactions are involved in milk synthesis, and reactive oxygen species are formed in
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