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Dietary supplementation with monosodium glutamate (MSG) is safe and improves growth performance in postweaning pigs
Author(s) -
Rezaei Reza,
Knabe Darrell,
Tekwe Carmen,
Ficken Martin,
Fielder Susan,
Eide Sarah,
Lovering Sandra,
Wu Guoyao
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.26.1_supplement.1013.23
Subject(s) - monosodium glutamate , weaning , small intestine , biology , medicine , meal , stomach , spleen , endocrinology , zoology
Glutamate is an abundant free and peptide‐bound amino acid in porcine milk to support growth and development of the piglet small intestine. However, after weaning, dietary intake of glutamate is markedly reduced due to low feed consumption. Piglets were weaned at 21 d of age to a corn‐ and soybean meal‐based diet supplemented with 0, 0.5, 1, 2, and 4% MSG (n=10/group). MSG was added to the diet at the expense of cornstarch. At 42 d of age, blood samples (10 mL) were obtained from the jugular vein of pigs at 1 and 4 h after feeding for hematological and clinical chemistry tests, and then pigs (n=6/group) were euthanized to obtain tissues for histopathological examinations. Feed intake did not differ among the 5 groups of pigs. Compared with the control, dietary supplementation with 2 and 4% MSG increased (P < 0.05) weight gains of postweaning pigs by 10.2% and 15.5%, respectively. All variables in standard hematology and clinical chemistry tests did not differ among the 5 groups of pigs. Likewise, dietary supplementation with up to 4% MSG did not result in gross or microscopic lesions in any tissues examined, including brain, spinal cord, heart, lungs, spleen, liver, kidneys, adrenal gland, stomach, cecum, small intestine, large intestine, gonads, and bone marrow. We conclude that dietary MSG supplementation is safe and improves growth performance in postweaning pigs. (Supported by International Glutamate Technical Committee)