EFFECTS OF FRUCTOOLIGOSACCHARIDES ON PERFORMANCE, VFA CONCENTRATION AND ENTERIC MORPHOLOGY IN PIGLETS

Effects of fructooligosaccharides (FOS) as one possible alternative to antibiotics in piglets wereinvestigated. 90 crossbred weaned pigsiDuroc ~ Landrace ~ Large Whitejweighing 7.86}0.06kg were randomly allotted to one of three dietary treatments. Control diets were a fed commoncorn-soybean meal diet with no antibiotics (as a basal diet). The two treatment groups were fedthe basal diet supplemented with 75 mg kg-1 Aureomycin or 0.4% FOS in order to study theeffect on the performance, serological indices, enteric morphology and volatile fatty acidscontent in intestinal digesta and feces. The results indicate that the diets containing FOS (0.4%)improved feed efficiency (37%, P=0.011) and decreased diarrhea incidence (71%, P=0.05), aswell as increasing the concentration of propionic acid (P=0.033) and butyric acid (P=0.049), totalvolatile fatty acids (VFAs)(P=0.013) in caecum and acetic acid (P=0.027), isobutyric acid(P=0.048), isovaleric acid (P=0.025), and total VFAs (P=0.048) in feces. Supplementation withFOS also resulted in significantly longer mucosal villi height (jejunum P=0.001; cecum P=0.007)and a higher percentage of goblet cells (jejunum P=0.025; ileum P=0.004; cecum P=0.000)compared with the control. No differences were found in crypt depth (jejunum P=0.082; ileumP=0.164; cecum P=0.129) among the three treatments. While serum glucose levels weresignificantly higher following FOS supplement (P=0.000), differences in serum total protein,albumin, globulin, and urea nitrogen levels were not significant (P>0.05) compared with thecontrol. The difference on mechanism of action between FOS and Aureomycin and a possiblesubstitution of antibiotics with FOS in piglet diets were shown.