Protein revaluation: Key to healthier weaner diets
How can we maintain piglet performance, when losing traditional solutions such as antibiotics and therapeutic zinc oxide? A good start would be to improve protein digestibility and piglet vitality. Applying a feed concept with 4 strong pillars can do this.
BY GRAZIANO MANTOVANI, MAUD LE GALL, KAAT GORIS, AITOR BALFAGON, CARGILL
I
370 380 390 400
340 350 360
330 17.5 18 18.5 19 19.5
Different superscripts are significantly different (P<0.05). Source: Cargill trial, 2005.
20 Crude protein level of the diet (%) 20.5 21 21.5
mplementing a change in feeding and eliminating tradi- tional solutions is particularly challenging for weaning piglets. The changes in physical and social environment around weaning, combined with an underdeveloped gas-
trointestinal tract, often lead to digestive issues such as post-weaning diarrhoea (PWD), followed by loss in perfor- mance and profitability. The culprit of intestinal problems is often a combination of undigested protein and proliferation of pathogenic bacteria in the hind gut and inflammation of the intestinal wall. For a long time, antibiotics and therapeu- tic zinc oxide (ZnO) were used to control these digestive is- sues in pigs. However, antibiotics as growth promoters have been banned in Europe for many years already and therapeu- tic ZnO levels will be soon.
The quest for protein balance The quest is to find the optimum crude protein (CP) level that limits digestive problems and – at the same time – maintains
Figure 1 - Effect of increasing CP levels in the weaner diet on ADG. b
b ab a
high performance levels. CP levels have a direct impact on average daily gain (ADG) (Figure 1). However, the definition of what is a “high” or “low” protein diet for this group varies worldwide. While 18.5% is considered as a low protein inclusion in many American markets, it is usually defined as high in Europe. Controversy only grows by literally interpreting publications that compare weaning diets of above 21% crude protein (CP) versus below 17%. A 16% CP diet will have a lower risk for developing digestive disorders, compared to a 22% CP diet. The risk of formulating on the safe side (16%) is that these diets don’t allow an optimised amino acid pattern, resulting in lower gut development and certainly a lower performance.
Better digestible protein To help pig farmers deal with the challenges around weaning, Cargill has developed Neopigg Shield (hereafter called ‘shield programme’). It is specially designed for healthy optimal growth performance while reducing the reliance on antibiotics and therapeutic ZnO. The shield programme is a multi-phase feeding concept that is tailored according to the needs of the piglets in the transition (6-8/10 kg body weight) and starter phase (10-25/30kg) and for a specific farm profile. The programme is based on having a CP level that is closer to the requirements and a mix of health and immune promoting ingredients in the diet that allows piglets to maintain their growth. One may be hesitant to use high protein diets for sensitive weaning pigs, and worry about a drop in performance, feed intake and a rise in digestive issues or other diseases. Diets with higher CP are possible when a specific nutrient such Swine Gut Fermentable Protein is used to formulate for young animals. The shield programme utilises a special soy protein with a very high and fast protein digestibility through a thermo mechanical treatment, ensuring growth performances without representing a risk for the hindgut and consecutive scoring. Higher levels of CP will also increase the supply of limiting amino acids, which promote immunity and gut development. The shield programme specifically takes into account these non- synthetic available essential amino acids and optimal ratios needed for growth and health. Leucine is an excellent example, its level is connected to gut integrity (mucin production) and together with isoleucine plays an important role in keeping technical performance around weaning.
60 ▶ ANTIBIOTIC REDUCTION | DECEMBER 2021
ADG day 4-25 pw (g/d)
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96
