Fermented Apple Pomace Improves Plasma Biochemical and Antioxidant Indicators and Fecal Microbiota of Weaned Pigs

Weiping Ao, Meng Cheng, Yanxu Chen, Jipeng Sun, Chunlei Zhang, Xianle Zhao, Mingzheng Liu and Bo Zhou ()
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Weiping Ao: College of Animal Science and Technology, Tarim University, Alar 843300, China
Meng Cheng: College of Animal Science and Technology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China
Yanxu Chen: College of Animal Science and Technology, Tarim University, Alar 843300, China
Jipeng Sun: Xinjiang Hongsheng Pastoral Culture Co., Ltd., Alar 843308, China
Chunlei Zhang: College of Animal Science and Technology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China
Xianle Zhao: College of Animal Science and Technology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China
Mingzheng Liu: College of Animal Science and Technology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China
Bo Zhou: College of Animal Science and Technology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China

Agriculture, 2022, vol. 12, issue 10, 1-11

Abstract: As a by-product, apple pomace (AP) is very rich in pectin, polyphenols, carbohydrates and minerals, which have antioxidant and immune-enhancing functions on animals. To investigate the effects of fermented AP on pigs, a total of 120 weaned pigs were allocated into one of two treatments: the control (CON) group, fed with diets containing 5% silage AP; or the AP group, fed with diets containing 5% silage corn-AP for 28 d. The average daily gain was increased ( p < 0.001) in the AP group compared with the CON group. The concentration of albumin and superoxide dismutase were increased by 8.98 g/L ( p < 0.001) and 2.9 U/mL ( p = 0.001), while the concentration of aspartate aminotransferase and malondialdehyde were decreased by 23.59 U/L ( p < 0.001) and 2.33 nmol/mL ( p = 0.003) in the AP group, respectively. There were 46 and 125 unique OTUs in the AP and CON groups, respectively. In the AP group, the abundance of Lactobacillus was increased ( p < 0.003), but the abundances of Clostridium_sensu_stricto_1 ( p = 0.001), Terrisporobacter ( p = 0.026), Ruminococcus ( p = 0.001) were decreased. In addition, the relative abundance of genetic information processing pathways was increased ( p = 0.001) in the AP group, while the relative abundance of cellular processes had a tendency to decrease ( p = 0.056) in the AP group. Above all, the supplementation of fermented AP has beneficial impacts on the growth, plasma biochemistry and immune indicators, and gut microbiota of weaned pigs.

Keywords: apple pomace; fermentation; weaned pigs; growth performance; gastrointestinal microbiota diversity (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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