A Ph.D. student at the University of Minnesota, Sudário Roberto Silva, Jr., studies what is happening in pigs' guts and how that can impact other parts of their lives. Under the guidance of his advisor Dr. Pedro Urriola, Assistant Professor of Animal science at the University of Minnesota, Silva summarized two peer-reviewed journal articles about feed additives being explored to help with pigs' digestive systems. Keep reading to learn what this means for keeping pigs healthy!
Major Finding
Feed additives are ingredients added to a pig’s typical diet for a strategic purpose. Some feed additives are used to improve the function of a pig’s digestive system or their “gut health.” The four major feed additive functions for enhancing gut health include 1) improving nutrient digestion, 2) protecting against pathogens, 3) controlling food intake, and 4) providing adequate immune response.
Researchers are exploring prebiotics, probiotics, and postbiotics as categories of feed additives, all with different capabilities to enhance all gut functions. Prebiotics require processing by healthy gut microflora, while probiotics are live organisms and require feeding conditions such as appropriate pH and temperature. Finally, postbiotics appear to be the newest category of products and offer the benefits of probiotics without the restrictions of live organisms.
Why It Matters
A healthy gut microbiome is crucial for nutrient absorption, growth, and pig health. Gut health additives can reduce reliance on antibiotics, addressing global antibiotic resistance concerns and assisting in meeting consumer demand for antibiotic-free pork. They also improve feed efficiency, helping pigs grow faster and reducing production costs.
Additionally, a healthier gut helps pigs be more resilient to other disorders. Overall, prebiotics, probiotics, and postbiotics promote sustainable swine production by improving animal health and, thus, welfare while reducing environmental impact.
How the Research Was Conducted
The findings are based on literature reviews in Nature Reviews Gastroenterology & Hepatology. Sanders et al. analyzed studies that used advanced microbiological techniques to show how probiotics and prebiotics improve gut health by influencing microbiota composition and immune function. Techniques like metagenomic sequencing revealed the microbial shifts caused by probiotics and prebiotics. Similarly, Salminen et al. reviewed data from high-throughput sequencing and metabolomic profiling to demonstrate how postbiotics maintain gut health by producing beneficial metabolites.
Learn More
Read the full peer-reviewed 2019 journal article on prebiotics and probiotics, then explore the 2021 article on postbiotics.