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Animals
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Pork Production: Precision Feeding and Management
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Pork Production: Precision Feeding and Management

A special issue of Animals (ISSN 2076-2615). This special issue belongs to the section "Pigs".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 February 2023) | Viewed by 8167

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Chengquan Tan

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Animal Science, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China
Interests: pig production; pig nutrition; functional feed additives; precision feeding
Dr. Xia Xiong

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changsha, China
Interests: piglet; small intestine; molecular nutrition

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Functional feed additives (including, but not limited to, antioxidants, plant extracts, prebiotics, probiotics, and enzymes) play a crucial role in pig production to promote growth performance and reproductive performance; in some cases, some feed additives that are alternatives to antibiotics have evolved into indispensable dietary components. With the rapid development of scale and intensification in modern pig farming, the use of functional feed additives is moving towards precision feeding techniques, i.e., personalized feeding according to pig breed, weight, physiological stage, etc. Therefore, research on more rational and regular use of functional feed additives will be more interesting and reliable. We invite original research papers or reviews on the effects of feed additives on the performance and health of pigs. Topics may include pig production, pig nutrition, functional feed additives, and precision feeding to improve understanding around the efficacy of feed additives.

Dr. Chengquan Tan
Dr. Xia Xiong
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Animals is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • swine
  • nutrition
  • growth performance
  • reproductive performance
  • meat quality
  • functional feed additives
  • precision feeding

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 1290 KiB  
Article
Dietary Alpha-Ketoglutarate Supplementation Improves Bone Growth, Phosphorus Digestion, and Growth Performance in Piglets
by Junquan Tian, Fan Yang, Xuetai Bao, Qian Jiang, Yuying Li, Kang Yao and Yulong Yin
Animals 2023, 13(4), 569; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani13040569 - 06 Feb 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1523
Abstract
Phosphorus (P) pollution from modern swine production is a major environmental problem. Dietary interventions to promote bone growth can improve the utilization of dietary P, and thereby reduce its emission. Recent in vitro studies have shown that alpha-ketoglutarate (AKG) exerts a pro-osteogenic effect [...] Read more.
Phosphorus (P) pollution from modern swine production is a major environmental problem. Dietary interventions to promote bone growth can improve the utilization of dietary P, and thereby reduce its emission. Recent in vitro studies have shown that alpha-ketoglutarate (AKG) exerts a pro-osteogenic effect on osteoblast cells. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of AKG supplementation on bone growth, P and Ca digestion, and the gut microbial profile in piglets. Thirty-two piglets were randomly assigned into two dietary groups. The piglets were fed a basic diet containing 10 g/kg AKG or 10 g/kg maize starch (control) for 28 days. On days 21–28, titanium dioxide was used as an indicator to determine the apparent digestibility of P. AKG supplementation improved the bone mineral density, length, weight, and geometrical and strength properties of the femur and tibia. Furthermore, AKG supplementation increased apparent ileal and total tract digestibility of P. Colonic microbiota analysis results showed that AKG supplementation increased α-diversity and beneficial bacteria, including Lactobacillus and Clostridium butyricum, and decreased nitrogen fixation and chemoheterotrophy. Together, AKG supplementation improves bone growth, the utilization of dietary P, and the colonic microbial profile, which may provide a nutritional strategy for diminishing P pollution originating from the pig industry. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Pork Production: Precision Feeding and Management)
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17 pages, 2058 KiB  
Article
Effects of Birthweight of Piglets in a Multi-Suckling System on Mortality, Growth Rate, Catch-Up Growth, Feed Intake and Behaviour
by Tianyue Tang, Walter J. J. Gerrits, Carola M. C. van der Peet-Schwering, Nicoline M. Soede and Inonge Reimert
Animals 2023, 13(2), 297; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani13020297 - 14 Jan 2023
Viewed by 1557
Abstract
Multi-suckling systems aim to improve animal welfare, but in these systems, a large variation is seen in piglet growth rate. Birthweight (BiW) plays an important role in explaining the variation in body weight (BW) gain of piglets. This study aims to investigate the [...] Read more.
Multi-suckling systems aim to improve animal welfare, but in these systems, a large variation is seen in piglet growth rate. Birthweight (BiW) plays an important role in explaining the variation in body weight (BW) gain of piglets. This study aims to investigate the relationships between BiW and piglet traits up to day 44 postpartum (p.p.). A total of 55 sows were used. The growth rate and mortality were assessed for all piglets. Feed and milk intake, behaviours, and skin lesions were assessed in four focal piglets per litter. Focal piglets were divided into four groups based on their BiW class (high BiW (HBiW) vs. low BiW (LBiW)) and growth rate class (fast vs. slow). Results showed that increased mortality was observed in piglets with a BiW below 1.1 kg. Birthweight was positively related with the number of sucklings (β = 2.8 no./kg of BiW per 7.5 h), corresponding to milk intake (β = 102 g/kg of BiW per day), and to a lesser extent, to the intake of sow feed (β = 44 g/kg of BiW per day) in week 6. Birthweight was positively related with the number of skin lesions (β = 4.3 no./kg of BiW) in week 4. We found no indications that fast-growing LBiW piglets differed from fast-growing HBiW piglets, however, fast-growing piglets of both HBiW and LBiW tended to eat more feed (485 ± 18 vs. 420 ± 17 g/day, p = 0.068), were present less often at teats of alien sows (1.1 ± 0.2 vs. 1.8 ± 0.3, p = 0.010), and had more skin lesions (9.0 ± 0.6 vs. 7.4 ± 0.4, p = 0.047), compared to slow growing piglets. Our study, thus, provides little insight into the traits that affect catchup growth in a multi-suckling environment but increases insight into the differences between fast-growing and slow-growing piglets, regardless of their birthweight class. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Pork Production: Precision Feeding and Management)
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13 pages, 1491 KiB  
Article
Long-Term Protein Restriction Modulates Lipid Metabolism in White Adipose Tissues and Alters Colonic Microbiota of Shaziling Pigs
by Jie Zheng, Yehui Duan, Changbing Zheng, Jiayi Yu, Fengna Li, Qiuping Guo and Yulong Yin
Animals 2022, 12(21), 2944; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12212944 - 26 Oct 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1371
Abstract
Obesity is a matter of concern to the public. Abundant evidence has been accumulated that nutritional intervention is a promising strategy to address this health issue. The objective of this study is to investigate alterations in the lipid metabolism in white adipose tissues [...] Read more.
Obesity is a matter of concern to the public. Abundant evidence has been accumulated that nutritional intervention is a promising strategy to address this health issue. The objective of this study is to investigate alterations in the lipid metabolism in white adipose tissues and the gut microbiota of Shaziling pigs challenged by long-term protein restriction. Results showed that compared with the control group, reducing the protein level by 20% (−20%) increased the mRNA abundance of FABP4 in white adipose tissues (p < 0.05). This occurred in conjunction with increases in PPARγ protein expression. Conversely, the protein expression of C/EBPα was reduced in the −20% group (p < 0.05). Moreover, the −20% group had increased/decreased phosphorylation of AMPKα/mTOR, respectively (p < 0.05). As for the colonic gut microbiota, a 20% reduction in the protein level led to increased Lachnospiraceae XPB1014 group abundance at the genus level (p < 0.01). Collectively, these results indicated that a 20% protein reduction could modulate lipid metabolism and alter the colonic microbiota of Shaziling pigs, an approach which might be translated into a treatment for obesity. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Pork Production: Precision Feeding and Management)
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14 pages, 2368 KiB  
Article
Transcriptome Profile Analysis of Intestinal Upper Villus Epithelial Cells and Crypt Epithelial Cells of Suckling Piglets
by Lijun Zou, Yirui Shao, Yinfeng Xu, Yuliang Wu, Jian Zhou, Xia Xiong and Yulong Yin
Animals 2022, 12(18), 2324; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12182324 - 07 Sep 2022
Viewed by 1571
Abstract
It is well known that the small intestinal epithelial cells of mammals rapidly undergo differentiation, maturation, and apoptosis. However, few studies have defined the physiological state and gene expression changes of enterocytes along the crypt-villus axis in suckling piglets. In the present study, [...] Read more.
It is well known that the small intestinal epithelial cells of mammals rapidly undergo differentiation, maturation, and apoptosis. However, few studies have defined the physiological state and gene expression changes of enterocytes along the crypt-villus axis in suckling piglets. In the present study, we obtained the intestinal upper villus epithelial cells (F1) and crypt epithelial cells (F3) of 21-day suckling piglets using the divalent chelation and precipitation technique. The activities of alkaline phosphatase, sucrase, and lactase of F1 were significantly higher (p < 0.05) than those of F3. To explore the differences at the gene transcription level, we compared the global transcriptional profiles of F1 and F3 using RNA-seq analysis technology. A total of 672 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified between F1 and F3, including 224 highly expressed and 448 minimally expressed unigenes. Functional analyses indicated that some DEGs were involved in the transcriptional regulation of nutrient transportation (SLC15A1, SLC5A1, and SLC3A1), cell differentiation (LGR5, HOXA5 and KLF4), cell proliferation (PLK2 and TGFB3), transcriptional regulation (JUN, FOS and ATF3), and signaling transduction (WNT10B and BMP1), suggesting that these genes were related to intestinal epithelial cell maturation and cell renewal. Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment analysis showed that the DEGs were mainly associated with binding, catalytic activity, enzyme regulator activity, and molecular transducer activity. Furthermore, KEGG pathway analysis revealed that the DGEs were categorized into 284 significantly enriched pathways. The greatest number of DEGs enriched in signal transduction, some of which (Wnt, Hippo, TGF-beta, mTOR, PI3K-Akt, and MAPK signaling pathways) were closely related to the differentiation, proliferation, maturation and apoptosis of intestinal epithelial cells. We validated the expression levels of eight DEGs in F1 and F3 using qRT-PCR. The present study revealed temporal and regional changes in mRNA expression between F1 and F3 of suckling piglets, which provides insights into the regulatory mechanisms underlying intestinal epithelial cell renewal and the rapid repair of intestinal mucosal damage. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Pork Production: Precision Feeding and Management)
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13 pages, 1608 KiB  
Article
Effects of Long-Term Protein Restriction on Meat Quality and Muscle Metabolites of Shaziling Pigs
by Jie Zheng, Yehui Duan, Jiayi Yu, Fengna Li, Qiuping Guo, Tiejun Li and Yulong Yin
Animals 2022, 12(15), 2007; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12152007 - 08 Aug 2022
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1447
Abstract
Background: It has been demonstrated that low-protein diets can improve the meat quality of pork. This study aimed to investigate the effects of long-term protein restriction from piglets to finishing pigs for 24 weeks on meat quality and muscle metabolites of Shaziling pigs. [...] Read more.
Background: It has been demonstrated that low-protein diets can improve the meat quality of pork. This study aimed to investigate the effects of long-term protein restriction from piglets to finishing pigs for 24 weeks on meat quality and muscle metabolites of Shaziling pigs. Results: Compared to the control group, reducing dietary protein levels by 20% reduced the L* value (p < 0.05), increased the a* value (p < 0.01), and tended to decrease pressing loss (p = 0.06) of longissimus thoracis muscle (LTM). Furthermore, compared to the control group, the −20% group had significantly lower levels of muscular danazol, N,N-dimethyl-Safingol, and cer(d18:0/14:0) (p < 0.05), all of which were positively associated with the L* value and negatively associated with the a* value (p < 0.05). Therefore, danazol, N,N-dimethyl-Safingol, and cer(d18:0/14:0) might be potential biomarkers for meat color. Conclusions: These results indicated that reducing dietary crude protein by 20% for 24 weeks could improve meat quality and alter muscular metabolites of Shaziling pigs, and the improvement in meat quality might be ascribable to decreased danazol, N,N-dimethyl-Safingol and cer(d18:0/14:0). Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Pork Production: Precision Feeding and Management)
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