Inclusion of wheat aleurone in gestation diets improves postprandial satiety, stress status and stillbirth rate of sows

This study investigated the effects of different amounts of wheat aleurone (WA) (0, 15%, 30%) inclusion in gestation diets on the reproductive performance, postprandial satiety, stress status and stereotypic behaviors of sows. A total of 84 Landrace x Yorkshire sows (parity 4.87 +/- 1.32) at breeding were randomly allotted to one of the three isoenergetic and isonitrogenous dietary treatments based on parity and body weight. The results showed that, compared with the control (0), sows fed the WA diet had a higher serum concentration of peptide YY (PYY) (P < 0.05) and glucagon like peptide-1 (GLP-1) (P < 0.05) and a lower concentration of saliva cortisol (P < 0.01). Importantly, compared with the control group, only the 15% WA group had a higher concentration of the total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC) (P < 0.05), lower proportions of sitting (P = 0.05) and stillbirth rates (P < 0.01). Accordingly, the production cost per piglet born alive ($ 6.9 vs. $ 7.6) or per piglet born healthy ($ 7.4 vs. $ 7.9) declined in the 15% WA group versus the control group. Overall, 15% WA inclusion in gestation diets contributed to enhancing postprandial satiety, alleviating stress status and decreasing stillbirth rate of sows. This study provides a reference for the application of WA as a partial substitute for conventional feed ingredients to improve sows' reproductive performance. (C) 2021 Chinese Association of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine. Publishing services by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of KeAi Communications Co. Ltd.

Automated summary

The study investigated the effects of including different amounts of wheat aleurone in gestation diets on the reproductive performance, satiety, stress status, and behavior of sows. The results showed that including 15% wheat aleurone led to improved postprandial satiety, reduced stress levels, and decreased stillbirth rates in sows. These findings suggest that wheat aleurone can be a beneficial partial substitute for conventional feed ingredients to enhance sow reproductive performance.