Evaluation of prebiotics as growth promoters to swine on growing and finishing phases

Abstract

This experiment was conducted with the aim to evaluate the prebiotics as growth promoter in the rations to growing and finishing pigs over the performance, carcass and meat quality characteristics. Forty-eight castrated male pigs with the same genetic background were evaluated. The animals were allocated with 32.48 ± 3.71 kg of body weight with 72 days of age, been slaughtered with 115.89 ± 7.42 kg with 156 days of age. The experimental design was a randomized blocks with four treatments, six repetitions, been each pen, with two animals, considered one experimental unit. To the carcass and meat evaluation the experimental design was completely randomized, been each animal considered one repetition. According to the rations additives, the following treatments were established: T1- control (ration without growth promoter); T2- 0.2% prebiotics (0.1% mannanoligosaccharide + 0.1% fructooligosaccharide); T3- apramicine 15 ppm; T4- 0.2% prebiotics (0.1% mannanoligosaccharide + 0.1% fructooligosaccharide) + apramicine 15 ppm. The animals’ performance was analyzed considering the Phase I (between 30 to 50 kg of body weight), II (between 30 to 80 kg of body weight) and Total (between 30 to the slaughter). There were no differences (P>0.05) between the treatments to the performance parameters considering the Total phase. The loin eye area characteristic was better (P < 0.05) to the animals treated with prebiotics compared to the control treatment. No differences were observed between the treatments to the meat quality and sensorial characteristics (P < 0.05). The use of prebiotics to growing and finishing pigs demonstrated similar results on the performance, carcass and meat characteristics compared with apramicine treatment.