ABSTRACT The effects of dietary supplementation with enzymatic complexes and plant extracts on weaned piglets were evaluated. Sixty piglets (28 days old) were assigned to six treatments: Control diet (CD); CD with 125 g/ton of Yucca schidigera extract (CDY); CD with 200 g/ton of enzymatic complex (CDE); CD with 400 g/ton of multi-enzymatic complex with emulsifier (CDME); CDE + 125 g/ton YSE (CDE+Y1) and CDE + 250 g/ton YSE (CDE+Y2). Piglets on the CDE+Y1 diet had better feed conversion ratio […]

ABSTRACT This study aimed to evaluate the effect of functional amino acid and mineral supplementation on growth performance, carcass characteristics, meat quality, and fatty acid profile of finishing pigs. One hundred and twenty castrated male pigs with an initial weight of 59.7 ± 2.7 kg were used, distributed into four dietary treatments: control; amino acids, control + 0.5% Arg and 0.5% Leu; minerals, control + 0.1% Cr and 0.05% MgO, and amino acids + minerals. From 127 to 159 days […]

ABSTRACT Pigs are susceptible to infections and inflammatory conditions throughout their life phases, requiring adequate nutrient intake to support immune defense functions. Trace elements such as zinc (Zn), selenium (Se), and copper (Cu) are crucial for immune competence and antioxidant defense. While nutritional guidelines define baseline requirements, the swine industry frequently adopts supranutritional levels of Zn, Cu, and Se to optimize health and performance. Therefore, this review explores the impacts of trace mineral supplementation (e.g., Zn, Cu, and Se) on […]

ABSTRACT This study aimed to investigate the effects of xylanase (Xyl) individually or in combination with B. subtilis and B. licheniformis associated or not with yeast cell wall in pig diets with a reduction of 100 kcal/kg of metabolizable energy (ME) content. Pig performance, bone parameters, intestinal morphometry, and bioeconomic indices were evaluated. A total of 75 pigs (25 females and 50 barrows; 25.02±3.21 kg) obtained from crossing Large White × Landrace were used. The experimental design consisted of randomized […]

ABSTRACT The study evaluates the influence of environmental enrichment on behavior, leucometry, and performance of commercial pigs. Thirty-two hybrid pigs (Landrace × Large White × Pietran), at 69 days of life, were divided into four groups and subjected to different environmental stimuli: concrete floor, with no enrichment (C); floor bedding with wood chips (CM); concrete floor, with mobiles (MO); floor bedding with wood chips and the presence of mobile (CM + MO). The study collected behavioral data of the animals […]

ABSTRACT The objective of this study was to determine and compare the chemical composition; oxidation indicators; ether extract (EE) digestibility; and digestible, metabolizable, and net energy (DE, ME, and NE, respectively) content of distillers corn oil (DCO) from Brazil (CBR) and the United States (CUS), with refined (RSB) and degummed soybean oil (DSB) from Brazil offered to pigs. Fifty crossbred barrows (23.1±3.4 kg body weight) were fed a corn-soybean meal basal diet, or diets composed of 90% basal diet and […]

ABSTRACT This study aimed to evaluate different periods of chromium yeast (CrY) supplementation on growth performance and quantitative carcass characteristics of growing-finishing pigs. We used eighty barrows (Duroc/Pietran × Large White/Landrace) with an initial body weight of 24.5±2.4 kg. A completely randomized block design was used within four periods of dietary CrY supplementation (control diet: CrY-free, from 25 to 110 kg; Cr25-110 kg: diet with 0.4 mg kg−1 of CrY, from 25 to 110 kg; Cr50-110 kg: diet with 0.4 […]

ABSTRACT This study was developed using meta-analysis to evaluate the effect of β-mannanase on both poultry and pig performance. Two databases were constructed using information from previous studies that evaluated the β-mannanase supplementation in diets for broilers (30 papers; 19,643 birds) and pigs (20 papers; 5,319 animals). The meta-analysis followed three sequential analyses: graphical, correlation, and variance-covariance. The effect of β-mannanase supplementation on performance considerably varied in both databases. Data analysis considering the study effect showed that β-mannanase supplementation did […]

ABSTRACT We evaluated whether the procedure for correcting backfat thickness (BT) equation coefficients and lipid mass (LM) initial values in animal profiles, as well as actual model parameter (MP) data and their interrelationships, could reduce errors in predicting body weight (BW) and BT in pigs reared in Southern Brazil. Because different combinations of actual and estimated MP values in advanced system calibration mode (ACM) give rise to distinct calibration procedures, their BT and BW prediction errors were compared with those […]

ABSTRACT This study investigated the knowledge and perception of Brazilian pig producers in terms of environmental enrichment (EE) for pigs, the materials used, and the forms of presentation, identifying the single conditions that can improve their application on pig farms. A questionnaire was applied to 1340 farms – representing 7.4% of the farms and 12% of the sows in the country. The questions included descriptions of farms and respondents, their knowledge, judgments and level of interest in the use of […]