Probióticos em rações comerciais para leitões na fase de creche

Abstract

The objective of this study was to evaluate the digestibility, microbiological composition of the feces, performance and blood parameters in piglets fed two different probiotics. The experiments were performed in the swine industry of the State University of Western Paraná. For digestibility assay, 24 pigs with initial weight of 18.8 ± 0.87 kg were housed individually in metabolism cages, distributed in a completely randomized experimental design consisting of three treatments and eight replicates per treatment. The treatments were: commercial diet free of probiotics; commercial diet with added probiotic Protexin and commercial diet with addition of probiotic Levucell. Digestibility of diets were evaluated and 25 grams of feces was collected for microbiological analysis of Clostridium and total bacterial count at the end of the assay. For the second experiment, 150 crossbred piglets (barrows and gilts) were used, weaned at 21 days of age with an average initial weight of 6.81 ± 0.71 kg. Animals were distributed in a randomized block in factorial arrangement 3 x 2, consisting of three experimental diets and both sexes. The diets were the same of experiment 1. We assessed performance during the nursery phase divided into phases: Pre initial I (21-29 days of age); Pre starter II (30 - 40 days of age); Initial (41-63 days of age) and total period (21 - 63 days of age). During each phase blood samples were collected for evaluation of calcium, phosphorus and urea in serum. The digestibility results were found significant (p<0.05) between treatments for digestible crude protein in which the probiotic improved digestibility. Microbiological analysis found significant differences (p<0.05) for total bacterial count of the probiotic Protexin, which decreased counting. For performance, there were no statistical differences (p>0.05) between treatment at any stage. There was a difference (p<0.05) for sex comparison in performance over the entire period in which males were higher than females. In blood calcium analysis, there was no statistical difference (p<0.05) for the Pre initial phase II, where males fed probiotic Levucell showed lower value than the others. In blood phosphorus analysis there was difference (p<0.05) for the Pre initial phase I, where males fed Protexin showed higher values than the other. The use of probiotics improve digestibility of dietary crude protein and reduces the population of total bacteria present in feces. For performance, the probiotics were not effective, and blood analysis showed no significant correlation