title: Effects of folic acid on the performance of suckling piglets and sows during lactation.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The present research was conducted to investigate the influences of supplementation with different levels of folic acids in diet on the performance of lactating sows. Twenty Landrace × Yorkshire sows received the same basal corn-soybean diets (folic acid, 1.3 mg kg(-1)) from gestation to parturition (day 107). After parturition, sows were allotted to four treatments: control group (folic acid supplementation level, 0 mg kg(-1)), group 1 (12.5 mg kg(-1)), group 2 (50 mg kg(-1)) and group 3 (100 mg kg(-1)), with five replicates of one sow. The experiment lasted for 21 days.
  
  
  RESULTS
  (1) Folic acid increased milk production (P > 0.05). (2) Compared with the control, supplementation with folic acid (100 mg kg(-1)) increased the concentration of butter fat, total substance and non-lipoid substance significantly (P < 0.01), the concentration of milk protein was also significantly increased in group 2 and group 3 (P < 0.01) in milk. (3) Folic acid supplementation could increase litter weaning weight, average piglet weaning weight and average piglet daily gain (P > 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results suggested that supplementation with folic acid in the diets of lactating sows increases milk production, improved milk quality and the performance of piglets.
authors.affiliation: Research Center for Healthy Breeding of Livestock and Poultry, Hunan Engineering and Research Center of Animal and Poultry Science and Key Laboratory for Agro-ecological Processes in Subtropical Region, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hunan, China.
authors.forename: Sheng-Ping
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Yu-Long
authors.initials: YL
authors.lastname: Yin
authors.forename: Yin
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Qian
authors.forename: Li-Li
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Feng-Na
authors.initials: FN
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Bi-E
authors.initials: BE
authors.lastname: Tan
authors.forename: Xiang-Shan
authors.initials: XS
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.forename: Rui-Lin
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Huang
mesh_terms: D000641:Ammonia / Q000097:blood; D000818:Animals; D000833:Animals, Suckling; D001724:Birth Weight; D001806:Blood Urea Nitrogen; D003433:Crosses, Genetic; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D005260:Female; D005492:Folic Acid / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000378:metabolism; D007774:Lactation / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism*; D050356:Lipid Metabolism; D008098:Litter Size; D008297:Male; D039382:Maternal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D008892:Milk / Q000378:metabolism; D008894:Milk Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D011247:Pregnancy; D034421:Sus scrofa / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000502:physiology; D014886:Weaning; D015430:Weight Gain
chemical_list: D008894:Milk Proteins; D000641:Ammonia; D005492:Folic Acid