Effect of dietary glutamine, glucose and/or sodium butyrate on piglet growth, intestinal environment, subsequent fattener performance, and meat quality

The effect of feed supplementing with glutamine, glucose and/or sodium butyrate was estimated on 156 piglets. The after-effect of supplements on fattener performance, carcass traits, and meat quality was examined. Piglets were allocated to 5 groups and fed standard feed mixture alone (control - C) or supplemented with 10 g of l-glutamine, or 10 g of glucose, or 3 g of sodium butyrate per kg of diet or all of these compounds (groups GT, GC, SB, and GT+GC+SB, respectively). Six piglets from each group were slaughtered at 63 days of age, their intestines were prepared and their parts measured. Digesta from ileum and caecum was taken for analysis. Its acidity and volatile fatty acids content were evaluated. Morphological structure of duodenal and ileal epithelium was estimated. After 84 days of age 20 animals from each group were fed the standard mixture. After 100 days of fattening 8 pigs from each group were slaughtered, pH of meat was measured, and samples of the longissimus muscle were taken for analysis. Body weight gains of piglets fed diets supplemented with SB or all supplements were higher than those of controls. All supplements given together increased total intestinal weight and length. Epithelial villi in jejunum were the highest in piglets receiving all supplements. Their height in the duodenum ranged from 296 to 347 µm and in the jejunum they were higher: 336 - 424 μm. After 100 days of fattening body weight of all experimental animals was higher than that of control. There was no significant difference in carcass and meat quality. Sodium butyrate added to the diet improved piglet performance probably due to changes in intestine development and in intestinal epithelium structure. This positive effect was enhanced to some extent by the addition of glutamine or glucose.