As the global population continues to increase, the demand for livestock production also rises. This has led to growing interest in efficient approaches to enhance animal growth and development. Phytonutrients are considered a promising alternative to synthetic compounds to improve animal growth performance. The objective of the study was to examine the effects of varying doses of phytonutrient supplementation on pig growth and metabolism. Thirty-two crossbred pigs (approximately 2 months of age, 17.7 kg± 0.82 kg) were randomly assigned to one of four phytonutrient groups (Control: 0 ppm; 1: 62.5 ppm; 2: 125 ppm; 3: 250 ppm) fed ad libitum for 28 days. Body weight was recorded on days -5, -1, 0, 7, 14, 21, and 28. Feed intake was recorded daily, and body composition measured by dual x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) was obtained on days -1, 14, and 28. Pigs increased (P<0.0001) in body weight, irrespective of treatment (P≤0.0535). Control pigs had greater average daily gain (ADG) when compared with other diets (P<0.001). Treatment 3 had the highest (P<0.05) feed:gain when compared with other treatments. Lean percentage of body weight decreased (P<0.0001) while fat mass increased (P<0.0001) over the duration of the study. Overall, supplementation of this phytonutrient blend did not show significant improvement to the growth of the pigs. / Master of Science / As the global population grows, there is increasing pressure to enhance livestock production efficiently. One potential solution is using phytonutrients, natural compounds found in plants, as an alternative to synthetic additives to enhance animal growth. This study explored how different doses of a phytonutrient supplement affects the growth and metabolism of growing pigs. Thirty-two crossbred pigs, approximately two months of age, were assigned to one of four treatment groups (Control: 0 ppm; 1: 62.5 ppm; 2: 125 ppm; 3: 250 ppm) over a 28-day period. Body weight, food intake, and body composition were all measured at various points throughout the study. While pigs did gain weight overall, there was no significant benefit from the phytonutrient supplementation in terms of growth improvement. Notably, pigs on the highest dose had the highest feed to gain ratio (F:G). Additionally, pigs receiving no additional supplement had the highest average daily gain in weight. Overall, phytonutrient supplementation did not lead to noticeable gains in growth performance. The outcome of this study highlights the need for further investigation into alternative growth enhancers in livestock production.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:VTETD/oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/121018 |
| Date | 26 August 2024 |
| Creators | Seligman, Lexie Camille |
| Contributors | Animal and Poultry Sciences, Rhoads, Robert P., Johnson, Sally E., El-Kadi, Samer Wassim |
| Publisher | Virginia Tech |
| Source Sets | Virginia Tech Theses and Dissertation |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | ETD, application/pdf |
| Rights | In Copyright, http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ |
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