Abstract for 6th ESPHM Sorrento Italy 2014 (length 2700 incl. spaces), only text, no tables and figures,
Deadline 10/12/2013
Dietary supplementation of ß-alanine to growing barrows improved performance
Cools A.1, De Moor C.2, Laget M.2, Lauwaerts A.2, Janssens G.P.J.2
1 Laboratory of Animal Nutrition, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Heidestraat 19, Merelbeke, 2 Taminco BVBA, Pantserschipstraat 207, Ghent, Belgium
In a small scale preliminary study, dietary supplementation of ß-alanine to growing pigs showed a numerical improvement of both average daily weight gain (ADG) and average daily feed intake (ADFI). Therefore, the present study was designed to further investigate these preliminary results in a large scale performance study. At 64.9 ± 1.4 days of age 108barrows weighing 22.9 ± 3.7 kg, were divided into three weight blocks of 36 pigs of similar weight (L: 19.0 ± 1.2 kg, M: 22.4 ± 1.1 kg, H: 27.3 ± 1.8 kg) each.Pigs of each weight block were randomly assigned to one out of 6 pens (6 pigs/pen). Within each weight block, pens were randomly assigned to either CONTROL or B-ALA. All pigs were fed the same commercial crumbled pellet and for B-ALAthe diet was supplemented with 500 ppm of synthetic ß-alanine. Body weight and feed intake was recorded weekly at pen level. Based on the total feed intake and the growth during the 37 days trial period the ADG, ADFI, and feed conversion ratio (FCR) was calculated. Data were tested for normality by means of a Kolmogorov-Smirnov test on the residuals generated by the univariated ANOVA model with both weight block (L, M, H) and diet (CONTROL, B-ALA) as fixed factors in the model. Significant differences (P < 0.05) were detected using a post-hoc Tukey test. No interactions of weight class × diet were observed for any of the measured variables and, therefore, the interaction term was removed from the model. Pigs of B-ALA had a significantly improved ADG (CONTROL: 785 ± 51 g/day, B-ALA: 826 ± 32 g/day, P = 0.039). Consequently, the average end weight was 1.5 kg higher for B-ALA (53.5 ± 4.5 kg) in comparison toCONTROL (52.0 ± 5.5 kg, P = 0.038). Both ADFI (CONTROL: 1.86 ± 0.09, B-ALA: 1.91 ± 0.08) and FCR (CONTROL: 2.38 ± 0.14, B-ALA: 2.31 ± 0.15) were only numerically improved by ß-alanine supplementation.As ß-alanine is part of the muscle related dipeptide carnosine, it is likely that in a catabolic state ß-alanine is released during muscle breakdown. Hence, a possible hypothesis for the improved performance results in ß-alanine supplemented pigs is that ß- alanine acts as a catabolic signal that stimulates voluntary feed intake and consequently improves growth rate.