Recent advances in the use of fatty acids as supplements in pig diets A review

The lipids in feed commonly fed to pigs consist mainly of neutral fats (specifically triglycendes) esters of fatty acids and glycerol The degree of unsaturation the length of the carbon chains and the isomeric form of the fatty acids greatly influence both the physical and the chemical characteristics of fat In swine nutrition fats are traditionally Introduced in diets as a high-energy constituent moreover they also supply liposoluble vitamins and essential fatty acids In addition the efficiency of using metabolisable energy from lipids is very high with a minimum heat increment compared to the other nutrients Recently nutritionists have become interested in specific fatty acids for their potentially beneficial physiological effects on metabolism in the intestinal mucosa and anti-microbial anti-Inflammatory and immunomodulatory activity and functional food design The following are examples of fatty acids that show these favourable effects short- and medium-chain fatty acids omega-3 fatty acids conjugated linoleic acid and they will form the basis of this review (C) 2010 Elsevier B V All rights reserved