Ryan N Dilger

Frequent incidence of postweaning enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) diarrhea in the swine industry contributes to high mortality rates and associated economic losses. In this study, a combination of butyric, caprylic, and capric fatty acid monoglycerides was investigated to promote intestinal integrity and host defenses in weanling pigs infected with ETEC. A total of 160 pigs were allotted to treatment groups based on weight and sex. Throughout the 17-d study, three treatment groups were maintained: sham-inoculated pigs fed a control diet (uninfected control [UC], n = 40), ETEC-inoculated pigs fed the same control diet (infected control [IC], n = 60), and ETEC-inoculated pigs fed the control diet supplemented with monoglycerides included at 0.3% of the diet (infected supplemented [MG], n = 60). After a 7-d acclimation period, pigs were orally inoculated on each of three consecutive days with either 3 mL of a sham-control (saline) or live ETEC culture (3 × 109 colony-forming units/mL). The first day of inoculations was designated as 0 d postinoculation (DPI), and all study outcomes reference this time point. Fecal, tissue, and blood samples were collected from 48 individual pigs (UC, n = 12; IC, n = 18; MG, n = 18) on 5 and 10 DPI for analysis of dry matter (DM), bacterial enumeration, inflammatory markers, and intestinal permeability. ETEC-inoculated pigs in both the IC and MG groups exhibited clear signs of infection including lower (P < 0.05) gain:feed and fecal DM, indicative of excess water in the feces, and elevated (P < 0.05) rectal temperatures, total bacteria, total E. coli, and total F18 ETEC during the peak-infection period (5 DPI). Reduced (P < 0.05) expression of the occludin, tumor necrosis factor α, and vascular endothelial growth factor A genes was observed in both ETEC-inoculated groups at the 5 DPI time point. There were no meaningful differences between treatments for any of the outcomes measured at 10 DPI. Overall, all significant changes were the result of the ETEC infection, not monoglyceride supplementation.

Feeding growing-finishing pigs supplemental fat is a common practice in the swine industry and can result in improved feed efficiency and reduced feed intake; however, dietary lipids also play a key role in determining pork quality. Objectives of the study were to evaluate the effects of feeding graded levels of high oleic soybean oil (HOSO) on loin and belly quality. A total of 288 pig raised in two separate blocks (144 pigs each) were assigned to one of four diets containing either 25% dried distiller’s grains with solubles (DDGS), 2% high oleic soybean oil (HOSO2), 4% high oleic soybean oil (HOSO4), or 6% high oleic soybean oil (HOSO6). Following the conclusion of the feeding trial, 144 pigs were slaughtered at the University of Illinois Meat Science Laboratory. Following fabrication, loins were collected for the evaluation of fresh quality measurements and color stability. Belly quality and fatty acid composition were evaluated using skin-on natural fall bellies. There were no differences (P ≥ 0.11) in pH, visual color, lightness (L*), drip loss, or WBSF among dietary treatments. However, visual marbling was increased (P ≤ 0.01) in loin chops from pigs fed HOSO4 and HOSO6 treatments compared with chops from pigs fed the DDGS dietary treatment. Additionally, loin chops were more red (a*) (P ≤ 0.01) from pigs fed HOSO diets when compared with pigs fed DDGS. Extractable lipid was decreased (P ≤ 0.01) in fresh loin chops from pigs fed DDGS and HOSO2 diets compared with pigs fed HOSO6. There were no differences (P ≥ 0.75) in trained sensory tenderness, juiciness, or flavor for loin chops from pigs fed different dietary treatments. Pork fatty acid composition was altered by dietary HOSO inclusion, with pigs fed DDGS having (P ≤ 0.01) the greatest concentration of C16:0 and was decreased with increasing levels of HOSO inclusion. Inversely, the percentage of C18:1n-9 was least (P ≤ 0.01) in pigs fed DDGS and increased with increasing levels of HOSO inclusion. Pigs fed DDGS produced wider (P ≤ 0.03) and thinner (P ≤ 0.04) bellies with reduced flop distance compared with pigs fed HOSO diets. Overall, HOSO diets did not negatively affect fresh loin quality or sensory traits of loin chops. Furthermore, feeding HOSO to swine resulted in bellies containing greater percentages of oleic acid and reduced percentages of palmitic and linoleic acid.