Impact of Dietary Supplementation of Fermented Rapeseed with or without Macroalgae on Performance and Health of Piglets Following Omission of Medicinal Zinc from Weaner Diets.

The feeding of medicinal zinc oxide (ZnO) to weaner piglets will be phased out after 2022 in Europe, leaving pig producers without options to manage post-weaning disorders. This study assessed whether rapeseed meal, fermented alone (FRM) or co-fermented with a single (; FRMA), or two ( and ; FRMAS) brown macroalagae species, could improve weaner piglet performance and stimulate intestinal development as well as maturation of gut microbiota in the absence of in-feed zinc. Weaned piglets (n = 1240) were fed, during 28-85 days of age, a basal diet with no additives (negative control; NC), 2500 ppm in-feed ZnO (positive control; PC), FRM, FRMA or FRMAS.

Morphology of the large intestine of the pig: haustra versus taenia.

The aim of the present study was to compare the morphological characteristics of the taenia and haustra of the large intestine in pigs. Ten pigs were fed a barley/wheat-based diet for a period of five weeks. Tissue samples were taken from the cecum and the proximal part of the colon at slaughter and processed histologically for determination of crypt volume, depth and density of the crypts, thickness of muscularis externa, and carbohydrate histochemistry.

Intestinal degradation in pigs of rye dietary fibre with different structural characteristics.

In order to investigate the effects of dietary fibre (DF) characteristics on carbohydrate degradation and the metabolism in the large intestine, pigs were fed on four rye-bread diets (based on whole rye, pericarp/testa, aleurone or endosperm) with differences in characteristics and amount of DF. The degradability of DF in the large intestine varied greatly between diets. The pericarp/testa DF was hardly degraded in the large intestine, whereas endosperm DF was extensively and rapidly degraded in the caecum.

Effects of cereal type and feed particle size on morphological characteristics, epithelial cell proliferation, and lectin binding patterns in the large intestine of pigs.

The present study was undertaken to investigate the effects of cereal type and feed particle size on the morphological characteristics and epithelial cell proliferation of the large intestinal tissue in pigs. Forty pigs, weighing approximately 30 kg, were fed diets containing either coarsely or finely milled barley or wheat for a period of 4 wk. Tissue samples were taken from the cecum and from the proximal, medial, and distal colon at slaughter.