Distillers dried grains with soluble (DDGS), a co-product from ethanol manufacturing, are excessive in protein and fats however their excessive fiber content material limits how effectively pigs can digest and use their vitamins.
Goal: This examine explored how including extruded corn DDGS to piglet diets impacts progress, digestion, intestinal well being, and intestine microbiota.
Strategies: A complete of 144 weaned piglets (preliminary weight ~6.6 kg) had been divided into three teams. One group obtained a regular eating regimen (management), whereas the opposite two had been fed diets containing both 8% or 16% extruded corn DDGS for 28 days. The DDGS had been extruded at 120 to 130 °C utilizing a high-capacity double-helix extruder with a barrel size of 4,000 mm and transport screws of 200 mm. On days 14 and 28, feed consumption and physique weight had been recorded, and diarrhea was assessed twice day by day by visible and bodily inspection.
Outcomes: The digestibility of vitality, protein, and different vitamins remained related between the management and the 8% DDGS group, though the upper 16% inclusion diminished nutrient digestibility barely. Curiously, each DDGS diets improved fats digestibility, seemingly because of the adjustments attributable to the extrusion course of. When it comes to intestine well being, the 8% DDGS eating regimen led to optimistic results: antioxidant exercise elevated in each the liver and small gut, and ranges of key immune markers within the intestine (resembling IL-1β, IL-6, IL-10, and TNF-α) had been greater. There was additionally improved expression of genes concerned in sustaining the intestinal barrier (tight junction proteins like claudin-1, occludin, and ZO-1). In distinction, the 16% DDGS eating regimen didn’t present the identical advantages and even diminished the villus-to-crypt ratio within the jejunum. Microbiota evaluation revealed that extruded corn DDGS altered the microbial ecosystem within the colon. Whereas the abundance of helpful micro organism like Lactobacillus decreased, different microbial teams identified to play roles in fiber fermentation and intestine well being, resembling Ruminococcus and Lachnospiraceae, elevated.
Conclusion: Together with 8% extruded corn DDGS in piglet diets seems protected and helpful. It helps intestine well being, improves fats digestibility, and fosters a extra numerous intestine microbiome—all with out compromising progress. These findings help using extruded DDGS as a sensible different to conventional elements like corn and soybean meal, providing financial and useful benefits in pig diet.
Zhang Z, Zhang G, He X, Solar Z, Zhao J, Liu L, Zhang G. Results of extruded corn distillers dried grains with solubles on progress efficiency, nutrient digestibility, intestine well being, and microbiota range in weaned piglets. Journal of Animal Science. 2025; 103: skaf120.
https://doi.org/10.1093/jas/skaf120
