Blend de proteases na alimentação de leitões em fase de creche

Abstract

The objective of the study was to evaluate the effects of including a blend of proteases in the diet of piglets during the nursery phase on zootechnical performance parameters, incidence of diarrhea, apparent digestibility of nutrients and energy, hematological and biochemical blood profile, intestinal morphometry, pH and weight of gastrointestinal tract organs, and cecal microbiology. Ninety-six male piglets with high genetic potential were used, weaned at 28 days of age, with an initial body weight of 7.82 ± 0.55 kg. The experiment lasted 35 days, until the animals reached an average body weight of 23.18 ± 3.07 kg. The animals were distributed in a completely randomized design (CRD) with four treatments: PC – Positive control; NC – Negative control, with a 5% reduction in crude protein requirements and 2% reduction in amino acid profile and no protease addition; NC100 – Negative control + 100 g of protease/ton of feed and NC150 – Negative control + 150 g of protease/ton, with eight replicates per treatment, totaling 32 experimental units with three animals each. The protease tested consisted of a blend of fungal and bacterial protease, formulated from Aspergillus niger, Bacillus subtilis, and Bacillus licheniformis. The results showed that animals receiving the NC100 treatment had higher daily weight gain (P = 0.046) when compared to animals consuming NC. Piglets receiving the NC150 treatment had a lower incidence of diarrhea (P = 0.020) when compared to the others. There was a difference in the variables of apparent dry matter digestibility (P = 0.0013) and organic matter digestibility (P = 0.0045), in which animals in the PC treatment had better nutrient digestibility when compared to those in the NC treatment, while animals that consumed the NC100 diet had higher digestible protein (DP) (P <.0001) than the PC and NC treatments. Animals in the NC100 treatment also showed better energy efficiency (P <.0001). Animals in the NC treatment had higher plasma alanine aminotransferase concentrations (P = 0.036). Animals in the NC100 treatment had lower concentrations of glucose (P = 0.033) and triglycerides (P = 0.031) in the bloodstream, while animals in the NC treatment had higher total protein content (P = 0.006) in the blood. The use of protease reduced the incidence of diarrhea, in addition to improving the apparent digestibility of nutrients and blood parameters, and under the experimental conditions, it may be a viable alternative for reducing crude protein in diets without compromising performance.