title: Effects of fermented garlic powder supplementation on growth performance, nutrient digestibility, blood characteristics and meat quality in growing-finishing pigs.
abstract: One hundred pigs (BW=50.7 ± 1.89 kg) were used to investigate the effects of fermented garlic powder (FGP) in growing-finishing pigs. Pigs were allotted to one of five treatments, included: (i) NC (basal diet); (ii) PC (NC+44 mg/kg of Tylosin); (iii) FGP1 (NC + 1 g/kg FGP); (iv) FGP2 (NC + 2 g/kg FGP); and (v) FGP4 (NC+4 g/kg FGP). Supplemental FGP increased average daily gain (ADG) and gain/feed ratio compared with those fed NC diet throughout the experiment (P<0.05, linearly). Dietary PC treatment increased the ADG and average daily feed intake during the first 6 weeks (P<0.05). The inclusion of FGP2 and FGP4 treatments had higher apparent total tract digestibility of dry matter and nitrogen (P<0.05) than those in the NC treatment. Dietary NC treatment exhibited lower (P<0.05) lymphocyte count (6 and 12 weeks) and immunoglobulin G (12 weeks) than those in the other treatments. Marbling scores were higher (P<0.05) in FGP treatment groups than the NC treatments. Pigs fed on FGP2 and FG4 diets evidenced lower 2-thiobarbituric acid reactive substances value (P<0.05) than those in the NC and PC treatments. Collectively, our findings demonstrated that the administration of FGP at a level of 2 or 4 g/kg improved growth performance, nutrient digestibility and meat quality in growing-finishing pigs.
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Resource and Science, Dankook University, Choongnam Cheonan, Korea.
authors.forename: Lei
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Yan
authors.forename: Qin W
authors.initials: QW
authors.lastname: Meng
authors.forename: In H
authors.initials: IH
authors.lastname: Kim
mesh_terms: D000821:Animal Feed; D000818:Animals; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D004435:Eating / Q000502:physiology; D005285:Fermentation; D005737:Garlic; D013552:Swine / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000502:physiology; D015430:Weight Gain / Q000502:physiology