title: Effect of dietary levels of vitamin E (all-rac-tocopheryl acetate) with or without added fat on weanling pig performance and tissue alpha-tocopherol concentration.
abstract: Two experiments involving 496 cross-bred pigs evaluated the efficacy of various dietary levels of vitamin E, with or without supplemental fat, on postweaning pig performance and weekly serum and terminal tissue alpha-tocopherol concentrations. The first trial involved 248 pigs weaned at an average of 15 d of age and 4.8 kg BW. The experiment was a randomized complete block design conducted in seven replicates. Vitamin E was added as dl-alpha-tocopheryl acetate at 0, 20, 40, 60, 80, 100, 150, or 200 IU/kg diet. Pigs were bled initially and at 7-d intervals for a 42-d period. Liver and s.c. adipose tissue samples were collected from six pigs per treatment group at 42 d. In Exp. 2, a 2 x 4 factorial arrangement of treatments in a randomized complete block design was conducted in seven replicates. The experiment used a total of 248 pigs weaned at 19 d of age and averaged 6.4 kg BW. Four vitamin E levels (0, 20, 40, and 60 IU/kg diet) and two added fat levels of 0 or 5% were fed for 35 d. Four pigs per treatment pen were bled weekly, and at 35 d a total of four pigs per treatment group were killed and liver, heart, and s.c. adipose tissues were collected and analyzed for alpha-tocopherol. The basal diet in both experiments contained an average 7.9 IU for period 1, and later diets averaged 11.0 IU vitamin E/kg. In both experiments serum alpha-tocopherol concentrations declined from weaning to 7 d after weaning and continued to decline each week after weaning when the basal diets were fed. Serum alpha-tocopherol concentrations increased (P < 0.01) each week as the dietary vitamin E level increased in both experiments. In Exp. 2, when fat was added to the diet serum alpha-tocopherol concentrations were higher (P < 0.01) than in diets without added fat. Liver, heart muscle, and adipose tissue alpha-tocopherol concentrations increased (P < 0.01) as vitamin E level increased, but at the higher dietary vitamin E level the liver surpassed the adipose tissue in its alpha-tocopherol concentration. Liver and adipose alpha-tocopherol concentrations were higher (P < 0.01) when fat was added to the diet. These results indicate that supplementation of 40 to 60 IU/kg diet with added fat resulted in a relatively constant balance of serum and tissue concentration of alpha-tocopherol during the nursery period, but when fat was not supplemented a dietary vitamin E level of 80 to 100 IU/kg diet may be needed. The current NRC recommendations for vitamin E for the pig from 5 to 20 kg BW may need to be reevaluated.
authors.affiliation: The Ohio State University and the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center, Columbus 43210-1095, USA.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Moreira
authors.forename: D C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Mahan
mesh_terms: D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000737:chemistry; D000818:Animals; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000378:metabolism*; D004041:Dietary Fats / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000378:metabolism; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005260:Female; D008099:Liver / Q000737:chemistry; D008297:Male; D009206:Myocardium / Q000737:chemistry; D009751:Nutritional Requirements; D013552:Swine / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000378:metabolism; D024505:Tocopherols; D014886:Weaning; D024502:alpha-Tocopherol / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; D004041:Dietary Fats; D024502:alpha-Tocopherol; D024505:Tocopherols