Effects of dietary supplementation with palygorskite on nutrient utilization in weaned piglets

The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of dietary palygorskite supplementation on nutrient utilization in weaned piglets. Twenty-seven weaned piglets (age, 24 days; weight, 7.32±0.12 kg) were allocated to three treatment groups (n=9 each) and each pig was considered to be a replicate. The control group was fed a basal diet and the two palygorskite treatments groups were fed a basal diet supplemented with either 2000 or 3000 mg/kg palygorskite for 42 days. On days 21 and 42, blood samples were collected for measurement of serum biochemical parameters, and three piglets from each group were sacrificed to collect intestinal digesta to assess the activities of gastrointestinal tract digestive enzymes. Titanium dioxide was added to all diets at 0.3% and used as a marker to determine nutrient digestibility at the end of the trial. The feed/gain and diarrhea index were decreased in the 2000 mg/kg palygorskite group (P<0.05), as compared with controls, between days 1 and 21. Aspartate aminotransferase activity and serum triglyceride concentration of the two palygorskite groups were lower than those of the control group on day 21 (P<0.05). Digestibility of dry matter and gross energy in the 2000 mg/kg palygorskite group were higher than those of the control group (P<0.05). Compared with the 2000 mg/kg palygorskite group, digestibility of dry matter was reduced in the 3000 mg/kg group (P<0.05). Crude fat digestibility was decreased in both palygorskite-treatment groups and a significant difference was observed between the 3000 mg/kg palygorskite group and control group (P<0.05). The results showed that dietary supplementation with palygorskite improved growth performance, ameliorated liver damage, increased dry matter, energy and crude protein utilization, while a lower dose (2000 mg/kg) seemed to be more effective than a higher dose (3000 mg/kg) to decrease crude fat digestibility in weaned piglets.