The Positive Effects of Proprietary Undenatured B-Glucans on Growing Pigs

Beta-glucan that is typically isolated from the fungi or yeast, by solvent extraction, is a commonly used supplement. However, the solvent extraction of beta-glucan from these sources destroys the tertiary structure of the compound, and reduces the immuno-stimulating efficacy of the denatured beta-glucan when compared to undenatured beta-glucan (UDBG¹). The objective of this study was to investigate growth performance of piglets, from weaning, that received diets containing undenatured beta-glucan (UDBG) for the following four weeks (up to an average live weight of 26.4 kg). The study was conducted with 128 Noroc pigs from 24 litters at the experimental pig house of the Norwegian University of Life Sciences. There were four dietary treatments; one group was fed a control diet containing no UDBG, three other groups were fed a diet containing 0.02 mg UDBG/kg, 0.2 mg UDBG/kg; or 2.0 mg UDBG/kg. In week 1 - 2, the pigs fed 2.0 mg UDBG per kg of feed gained 12% faster than the control diet. The numerical increase in weight gain during the first period after weaning is indicative of an improved immune status of the piglets fed the higher inclusion levels of the UDBG diets. Additionally, the piglets fed the highest level of UDBG (2.0 mg/kg) were found to have a better viability compared to the other groups, as determined by the Veterinary staff. No clinical problems related to the dietary treatments were observed. The animals revealed good growth and an average daily gain (ADG) for all pigs were 559 g for the overall experimental period. The growth performance was calculated for the two first weeks of the study, the remaining last two weeks of the study, and for the overall four-week experimental period. Significant effects of UDBG on weight gain and feed intake were found during the early weeks, but diminished later in the trial. The addition of UBDG to diets had a significant positive effect on several blood hematological parameters including the index of anisocytis, neutrophilic granulocytes, and lymphocytes. A significant positive linear effect of increasing dietary levels of UBDG was also found for hemoglobin and hematocrit.