Animal Science

Productive performance of post-weaning piglets supplemented with essential oil of wild garlic (Mansoa alliacea L.).Technical note

Comportamiento productivo de lechones en posdestete suplementados con aceite esencial de ajo de monte (Mansoa alliacea L.). Nota técnica

W. Caicedo *
Universidad Estatal Amazónica, Ecuador
Granja Agropecuaria Caicedo, Ecuador
L. Caicedo 0000-0001-5980-4028
Granja Agropecuaria Caicedo, Ecuador
C. Buenaño
Rancho Santa Rita, Ecuador
María Caicedo 0000-0002-2702-5430
Granja Agropecuaria Caicedo, Ecuador

Productive performance of post-weaning piglets supplemented with essential oil of wild garlic (Mansoa alliacea L.).Technical note

Cuban Journal of Agricultural Science, vol. 57, e18, 2023

Ediciones ICA

Received: 02 April 2023

Accepted: 30 June 2023

Abstract: The use of essential oils constitutes an alternative to reduce or eliminate the dependence on antibiotics and synthetic growth promoters and also decrease the microbial resistance and residuality on pig’s carcass. With the purpose of evaluating the effect of essential oil of wild garlic (Mansoa alliacea L.) on the productive performance of post-weaning piglets, a total of 24 castrated male piglets, commercial cross (Blanco Belga x Duroc x Pietrain) of 28 days of age, with average live weight of 9.33 ± 0.34 kg were used. The animals were distributed according to a complete random design and each one constituted an experimental unit. The treatments consisted in a control diet (0); 500 mg of essential oil of wild garlic.kg DM-1 and 1000 mg of essential oil of wild garlic.kg DM-1, respectively. The variables food intake day (FID), weight gain per day (WGD), feed conversion (FC) and final weight (FW) were studied. There was not significant effect (p > 0.05) between treatments for the variables under study. It is concluded that under this research conditions is viable the use of essential oil of wild garlic as natural additive in post-weaning piglets diets, with the purpose of reducing the dependence on antibiotics and synthetic growth promoters of the food which are commercialize in Ecuador for this category.

Key words: Essential oil, phytobiotic additive, productive indexes, commercial piglets.

Resumen: El uso de aceites esenciales constituye una alternativa para reducir o eliminar la dependencia de antibióticos y promotores de crecimiento sintéticos y disminuir, además, la resistencia microbiana y residualidad en la canal de los cerdos. Con el objetivo de evaluar el efecto de la suplementación dietética de aceite esencial de ajo de monte (Mansoa alliacea L.) en el desempeño productivo de lechones en posdestete, se utilizaron 24 lechones machos castrados, cruce comercial (Blanco Belga x Duroc x Pietrain) de 28 días de edad, con peso vivo promedio de 9.33 ± 0.34 kg. Los animales se distribuyeron de acuerdo con un diseño completamente aleatorizado y cada uno constituyó una unidad experimental. Los tratamientos consistieron en una dieta control (0); 500 mg de aceite esencial de ajo de monte.kg MS-1 y 1000 mg de aceite esencial de ajo de monte.kg MS-1. Se estudiaron las variables consumo de alimento día (CAD), ganancia de peso por día (GPD), conversión alimentaria (CA) y peso final (PF). En esta investigación no hubo efecto significativo (p > 0.05) entre tratamientos para las variables objeto de estudio. Se concluye que en las condiciones de esta investigación es viable el uso de aceite esencial de ajo de monte como aditivo natural para uso en dietas destinadas a lechones en posdestete, con la finalidad de reducir la dependencia de antibióticos y promotores de crecimiento sintéticos de los concentrados que se comercializan en Ecuador para esta categoría.

Palabras clave: Aceite esencial, aditivo fitobiótico, índices productivos, lechones comerciales.

Currently, the Ecuadorian production enterprises of balanced foods for pigs in pre-weaning, weaning, starting and growing used in their formulations antibiotics and synthetic growth promoters that, due to their therapeutic effects, helps to counteract digestive disorder and, at the same time, optimize productive indexes, among which can mention weight gain and feed conversion. However, this led to this additives dependence with the appearance of resistant microorganisms.

The weaning period is the most stressing stage in pig’s production (Caicedo et al. 2020). In semi-intensive and intensive pig rearing house from Ecuador, the piglets weaning is carry out between 21 and 28 days of born, this cause changes in the function of the intestinal mucus and decrease the digestive process efficacy which affects the growing and developing of animals (Flores et al. 2015).

In nature it can found natural growth promoters, which do not cause damage to the animals and humans. Precisely, the use of essential oils can be considered as an alternative to the use of antibiotics and synthetic growth promoters. Many researchers are focus on the use of the bioactive compounds of plants, that when they are supplied in the animal’s diet improves the odor and taste of the food, increasing their palatability (Maenner et al. 2011).It has been showed, in addition, that these compounds take part in the modification of the intestinal microbiota and in the animals immunity (Chávez-Soto et al. 2021).The essential oils are able of improve the structure (intestinal morphology), the process of digestion and nutrients absorption, obtaining low energy expenses and decreasing the intestinal inflammation (Maya-Ortega et al. 2021). They also prevent intestinal infections, as diarrheas which are one of dying causes in freshly weaning piglets. The use of these oils is an easily option to the small, medium and big pig farmers, with their consistent economic and therapeutic benefits that restrict the use of antibiotics and synthetic growth promoters.

Grovas et al. (2018) and Correa and Cabrera (2019) research into species from Mansoa genus, which take part of Bignoniaceae family, from which essential oils has being extracted. Their leaves, root, stem and flowers have alkaloid, tannin, phenols, flavonoids, glycosides, quinones, sulfur compounds as alliin and alicin. The leaflets and buds are carrier of steroids, such as β-sitosterol, strigmasterol, duocosterol and fucosterol, which have anti-inflammatory and antibacterial action, allowing their use in supplements of diets for zoothecnical interest animals.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of the dietetic supplementation of essential oil of wild garlic (Mansoa alliacea L.) on the productive performance of post-weaning piglets.

The research was performed in Santa Rita Farm, located in Tarqui parish, from Pastaza canton and Pastaza province, Ecuador. This region is at 900 m o.s.l and has a mean temperature that varies between 18 and 28 ºC, with semi-hot or subtropical humid climate. The average relative humidity is of 87 % and annual rainfalls of 4000 and4500 mm (INAMHI 2014).

The foliage of wild garlic was obtained from a plantation with two years of established in Caicedo Agricultural Farm, located in Tarqui parish, Pastaza canton, Ecuador. A total of 1 kg of fresh green leaves were collected, without cuttings and yellowish. Table 1 show the essential oil extraction process.

Table 1
Extraction process of wild garlic (Mansoa alliacea L.) essential oil
Extraction process of wild garlic (Mansoa alliacea L.) essential oil

In this research was fulfilled with the regulations of Animal Welfare of the Republic of Ecuador (AGROCALIDAD 2017). The experimental process was developed according to Sakomura and Rostagno (2007) guidelines. A total of 24 castrated male piglets, commercial cross (Blanco Belga x Duroc x Pietrain) of 28 days of age, with average live weight of 9.33 ± 0.34 kg were used. Each pig was considered as an experimental unit. The animals were housed in a shed, which included individual 0.80 x 0.80 m (0.64 m²) pens, with plastic floor and blocks walls of 1m height. The food intake per day (FID), weight gain per day (WGD), feed conversion (FC), and final weight (FW) were evaluated. The experiment lasted 28 d. The weighing was carried out every week with an electronic portable balance, cale brand, with 50 kg capacity.

The diets were formulated according to Rostagno et al. (2017) recommendations (table 2). The treatments consisted in a control diet (0); 500 mg of essential oil of wild garlic.kg DM-1and 1000 mg of essential oil of wild garlic.kg DM-1. Before the daily supply to the animals, the essential oil was mixed with the food in those foods that included. The balanced formulations were made every week and were ad libitum in hopper -type feeder once a day, at 08:00 a.m. The water was constant in nipple drinkers.

Table 2
Composition and nutrients contribution of the experimental diets (DB, %)
Composition and nutrients contribution of the experimental diets (DB, %)
#Premixture of vitamins and minerals for growing pigs (vit. A, 2 300 000 UI; vit. D3, 466 667 UI; vit. E, 5000 UI; vit. K3, 667 mg; vit. B1, 333 mg; vit. B2, 1000 mg; vit. B6, 400 mg; vit. B12, 4000 μg; folic acid, 67 mg; niacin, 6660 mg; pantothenic acid , 4000 mg; biotin, 17 mg; choline, 43 g; iron, 26 667 mg; copper, 41 667 mg; cobalt, 183 mg; manganese, 16 667 mg; zinc, 26 667 mg; selenium, 67 mg; iodine, 267 mg; antioxidant 27 g; vehicle qsp, 1000 g)

For the productive performance a covariable analysis was performed in the variables final weight, weight gain per day, food intake per day and feed conversion. The initial weight was taking as concomitant variable, so analysis of variance was carried out according to a completely random design, with three treatments and eight repetitions per treatment. In necessary cases Duncan (1955) test for (p ≤ 0.05) was applied. Shapiro and Wilk (1965) test were applied for the normality of errors, and Levene (1960) test for the homogeneity of variance. The results fulfill with those assumptions, so it was not necessary their transformation. All analyses were performed with the statistical package Infostat (Di Rienzo et al. 2021).

There were not significant differences (p > 0.05) for the final weight, weight gain per day, food intake per day and feed conversion of animals. The results of the productive indexes in post weaning pigs are show in table 3.

Table 3
Productive indicators of post-weaning pigs, supplemented with essential oil of wild garlic and without supplemented
Productive indicators of post-weaning pigs, supplemented with essential oil of wild garlic and without supplemented
# Intake /weight gain

There were not significant differences between treatments, although slights increases in final weight, weight gain, food intake and feed conversion were showed for the animals treated with 1000 mg.kg DM-1 of wild garlic essential oil. This show that for next researchers it should made higher supplementation with this oil to achieve better results. Baca and Ampuero (2019), Albetis (2021) and Buenaño-Haro and Bravo-Sánchez et al. (2022) refers that essential oils influence on animals, according to the supplementation level performed to improve the intake , weight gain, feed conversion, and food digestibility, when optimizing the absorption capacity of villus in new weaning pigs.

De Haro (2015) showed that the pancreas as the intestinal mucus can stimulate by means of the active principles of essential oils, since they accelerate the organism regulation and promote the digestion for the food intake will be more efficient.

In a study with tea essential oil and a control diet, for 21 days, Dong et al. (2019) showed that the animals treated with the essential oil increased the daily food intake, daily weigh gain, villus length, interleucine content, tumoral-α necrosis factor (TNFα), the genetic expression of the thermal shock protein and the activation of the Notch2 signalization in the small intestine.

The use of essential oils in post-weaning piglet diets is the purpose of relatively new study in Ecuador. The development of this research lines is of great importance due the great diversity of active principles which are in the plant resources, and have beneficial effects in health and productive performance of animals.

Conclusions

Under this research conditions is viable the use of essential oil of wild garlic as natural additive in post-weaning piglets diets, with the purpose of reducing the dependence on antibiotics and synthetic growth promoters of the food which are commercialize in Ecuador for this category.

References

AGROCALIDAD (Agencia Ecuatoriana de Aseguramiento de la Calidad del Agro). 2017. Manual de aplicabilidad de buenas prácticas porcícolas. Quito, Ecuador, pp. 127. Available: http://www.agrocalidad.gob.ec/wp-content/uploads/pdf/Guia-BPA-publicaciones/2017/enero/manual-buenas-practicas-porcicolas-24-01-2017.pdf.

Albetis, M. 2021. Actualidad Porcina. Los Aceites Esenciales (AE) como aditivos alimenticios en los porcinos. Available: https://actualidadporcina.com/los-aceites-esenciales-ae-como-aditivos-alimenticios-en-los-porcinos/.

Baca, N. & Ampuero, A. 2019. "Efecto de la inclusión de aceite esencial de orégano en la dieta de lechones destetados sobre parámetros productivos". Revista de Investigaciones Veterinarias del Perú, 30(4): 1537-1542, ISSN: 1609-9117. http://www.scielo.org.pe/pdf/rivep/v30n4/a14v30n4.pdf

Buenaño-Haro, C.X. & Bravo-Sánchez, L.R. 2022. "Uso del jengibre (Zinger officinale) y cúrcuma (Curcuma longa) como aditivos fitobióticos en lechones posdestete". Revista Arbitrada Interdisciplinaria KOINONIA, 7(14): 32-43, ISSN: 2542-3088. http://dx.doi.org/10.35381/r.k.v7i14.1853

Caicedo, W., Ferreira, F.N., Pérez, M., Flores, A. & Ferreira, W. 2020. "Comportamiento productivo de cerdos post-destete alimentados con una dieta suplementada con fruta de banano orito (Musa acuminata AA) fermentado con yogur". Livestock Research for Rural Development, 32(2), Article #33, ISSN: 2521-9952. Available: http://www.lrrd.org/lrrd32/2/orlan32033.html

Chávez-Soto, D., Vázquez-Armijo, J., Hernández-Meléndez J, Martínez-González J, Esparza-Jiménez S. & López-Aguirre, D. 2021. "Essential oils in small ruminants and their effect on productivity". Tropical and Subtropical Agroecosystems, 24(2): 1-12, ISSN: 1870-0462. https://www.revista.ccba.uady.mx/ojs/index.php/TSA/article/view/3468/1612

Correa, K. & Cabrera, L. 2019. Estudio farmacognóstico y fitoquímico preliminar de las hojas y tallo de Mansoa hymenaea (DC.) A.H. Gentry, bejuco de ajo. Trabajo de Titulación de Químico Farmacéutico, Universidad de Guayaquil, Guayaquil, Ecuador, pp. 86.

De Haro, M. 2015. Efecto de los aceites esenciales de plantas aromático-medicinales en la fase de transición de animales monogástricos. Tesis de Doctorado, Universidad de Murcia, Murcia, España, pp. 318.

Di Rienzo, J.A., Casanoves, F., Balzarini, M.G., González, L., Tablada, M. & Robledo, C.W. 2021. InfoStat, Version 2021 (Windows). Grupo InfoStat, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Argentina. Available: https://www.infostat.com.ar/index.php?mod=page&id=46

Dong, L., Zhong, Z., Wang, S., Wang, H., Huo, Y., Wei, Z. & Yu, L. 2019. "Dietary tea tree oil supplementation improves the intestinal mucosal immunity of weanling piglets". Animal Feed Science and Technology, 255: 114205, ISSN: 0377-8401. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anifeedsci.2019.114209.

Duncan, D.B. 1955. "Multiple Range and Multiple F Tests". Biometrics, 11(1): 1-42, ISSN: 0006-341X. https://doi.org/10.2307/3001478.

INAMHI (Instituto Nacional de Meteorología e Hidrología). 2014. Anuario Meteorológico. Quito, Ecuador, p. 28, Available: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1aRysaX9teIQwI4E_U9vtR6XaNBNv4VL9/view.

Flores, L., Elías, A., Proaño, F., Granizo, G., Medina, Y., López, S., Herrera, F. & Caicedo, W. 2015. "Effects of a microbial preparation, a probiotic and commercial antibiotic on the productive performance and pig’s health in post-weaning period". Cuban Journal of Agricultural Science, 49(3): 357-365, ISSN: 2079-3480. https://www.redalyc.org/pdf/1930/193042629011.pdf.

Grovas, J., Cóndor, E., Collantes, I. & Reyna, V. 2018. "Esteroles presentes en el extracto apolar de las raíces de ajo sacha Mansoa alliacea". Revista Sociedad Química del Perú, 84(4): 513-521, ISSN: 1810-634X. http://www.scielo.org.pe/pdf/rsqp/v84n4/a11v84n4.pdf.

Levene, H. 1960. Robust tests for the equality of variance. Contributions to probability and statistics. Stanford University Press. p. 278.

Maenner, K., Vahjen, W. & Simon, O. 2011. "Studies on the effects of essential-oil-based feed additives on performance, ileal nutrient digestibility, and selected bacterial groups in the gastrointestinal tract of piglets". Journal of Animal Science, 89(7): 2106-2112, ISSN: 0021-8812. https://doi.org/10.2527/jas.2010-2950.

Maya-Ortega, C., Ángel-Isaza, J., Martínez-Morales, B. & Parra-Suescún, J. 2021. "Oregano essential oil (Lippia origanoids) improves productive parameters and blood metabolites in piglets". Biotecnología en el Sector Agropecuario y Agroindustrial, 19(2): 82-93, ISSN: 1692-3561. https://doi.org/10.18684/bsaa.v19.n2.2021.1547.

Rostagno, H.S., Albino, L.F.T., Donzele, J.L., Gomes, P.C., Oliveira, R.F., Lopes, D.C., Ferreira, A.S., Barreto, S.L.T. & Euclides, R.F. 2017. Tabelas Brasileiras para Aaves e suínos: Composição De Alimentos e Exigências nutricionais, 4rd. Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Viçosa. Brazil, p. 488.

Sakomura, N. & Rostagno, H. 2007. Métodos de pesquisa em nutrição de monogástricos. Jaboticabal: FUNEP, pp. 283.

Shapiro, S. & Wilk, B. 1965. "An analysis of variance test for normality (complete samples) ". Biometrika, 52(3/4): 591-611, ISSN: 0006-3444. https://doi.org/10.2307/2333709.

Author notes

Author’s contribution: W. Caicedo: Conceptualization, investigation, methodology, data curation, supervision, writing of the original draft. L. Caicedo: Investigation, data curation, writing of the original draft. C. Buenaño: Writing of the original draft. María Caicedo: Data curation, formal analysis

*Email: orlando.caicedo@yahoo.es

Conflict of interest declaration

Conflict of interests: The authors declare that there are not conflicts of interests in this study.

Alternative link

HTML generated from XML JATS4R by