Open AccessFlavor supplementation during late gestation and lactation periods increases the reproductive performance and alters fecal microbiota of the sows
Author(s) -
Renjie Wang,
Ning Liu,
Yuchen Yang,
Lei Yan,
Jirong Lyu,
Zhaolai Dai,
In Ho Kim,
Ju Li,
Zhenlong Wu,
Defa Li
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
animal nutrition
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.356
H-Index - 28
eISSN - 2405-6545
pISSN - 2405-6383
DOI - 10.1016/j.aninu.2021.01.007
Subject(s) - lactation , biology , gestation , feces , zoology , reproduction , endocrinology , pregnancy , medicine , ecology , genetics
This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of flavor on reproductive performance and fecal microbiota of sows during late gestation and lactation. A total of 20 healthy Yorkshire sows were fed a corn-soybean basal diet unsupplemented or supplemented with 0.1% flavor compound from d 90 of gestation to 25 d post-farrowing, and then the piglets were weaned. The reproductive performance and the fecal microbiota of sows were analyzed. Compared with the controls, flavor supplementation in maternal diets increased ( P < 0.05) weaning litter weight, litter weight gain, weaning body weight, and average daily gain of piglets. There was a trend of increase in the average daily feed intake of sows ( P = 0.09) by maternal dietary flavor addition. The backfat thickness and litter size were not affected by flavor supplementation ( P > 0.05). The 16S rRNA analysis showed that flavor supplementation significantly increased the abundance of Phascolarctobacterium ( P < 0.05), but significantly decreased genera Terrisporobacter , Alloprevotella , Clostridium_sensu_stricto_1 , and Escherichia-shigella ( P < 0.05). Spearman correlation analysis showed that Phascolarctobacterum was positively correlated with the average daily feed intake of sows ( P < 0.05), the litter weight gain and average daily gain of piglets ( P < 0.05). In contrast, Clostridium_sensu_stricto_1 and unclassified_f__Lachnospiraceae were negatively correlated with the litter weight gain and average daily gain of piglets ( P < 0.05). Taken together, dietary flavor supplementation improved the reproductive performance of the sows, which was associated with enhanced beneficial microbiota and decreased potentially pathogenic bacteria in the sows.