Effects Of Grapefruit Peel Powder On Growth Performance And Intestinal Health Of Weaned Piglets

In this paper,the effects of Liangping grapefruit peel powder on growth performance,diarrhea,antioxidant performance and intestinal health of weaned piglets were studied to provide theoretical support for the application of grapefruit peel powder replacing antibiotics on the production of weaned piglets.In this study,30 28-day-old weaned piglets(Duroc × Landrace × Yorkshire)were randomly divided into three groups: basal diet group(CON group),basal diet with 75 mg/kg of chlorotetracycline group(CTC group),and basal diet with 120 mg/kg of grapefruit peel powder group(GPP group).Ten replicates per group,one pig per replicate,fed a pig in a single pen.The test period is 28 days.Experimental results showed that:(1)Compared with the contol group,basal diet with grapefruit peel powder significantly increased ADG and ADFI in weaned piglets(P<0.05),while basal diet with chlorotetracycline had no significant effect(P>0.05).Compared with the control group,basal diet with grapefruit peel powder and chlorotetracycline can significantly reduce the rate of diarrhea in piglets(P<0.05).(2)Compared with the control group,the piglets serum total antioxidant capacity(T-AOC),superoxide dismutase(SOD)and glutathione peroxidase activity(GSH-Px)of grapefruit peel powder group were significantly increased(P<0.05).There was no significant difference of catalase(CAT)activity between the grapefruit peel powder group and the control group(P>0.05).Compared with the chlorotetracycline group,the catalase activity and glutathione peroxidase activity of the grapefruit peel powder group were significantly increased(P<0.05).(3)Compared with the control group,basal diet with grapefruit peel powder can significantly improved the content of IL-4,TNF-?,IGF-1,IgA,IgG in serum of piglets(P<0.05)and decrease the content of IL-8,IL-17,IL-1?,IFN-? in serum of piglets(P<0.05).(4)Compared with the control group,basal diet with grapefruit peel powder and chlorotetracycline significantly reduced the pH of duodenum(P<0.05),and grapefruit peel powder significantly reduced the pH of cecum(P<0.05).Basal diet with grapefruit peel powder and chlorotetracycline significantly increased the villi height and villi height/ crypt depth of piglets(P<0.05).(5)There was no significant difference in the Alpha diversity index of colonic microbial community among the three groups(P>0.05).At the phylum level,compared with the control group,the relative abundance of Firmicutes and Cyanobacteria were significantly reduced in the grapefruit peel powder group and the chlorotetracycline group(P<0.05),the relative abundance of Bacteroidetes was significantly increased in the chlorotetracycline group and the grapefruit peel powder group(P<0.05).At the family level,compared with the control group,the relative abundance of Veillonellaceae in the chlorotetracycline group was significantly increased(P<0.05),the relative abundance of Lactobacillaceae in the chlorotetracycline group was significantly reduced(P<0.05).Compared with the control group,the relative abundance of Ruminococcaceae in the grapefruit peel group was significantly increased(P<0.05),and the Veillonellaceae in the grapefruit peel group was significantly reduced(P<0.05).In summary,grapefruit peel powder and chlorotetracycline can improve the growth performance of weaned piglets,relieve diarrhea and improve intestinal microbial flora.The results showed that grapefruit powder could be used as feed additive to relieve the weaning stress of piglets and ensure the normal growth of weaned piglets.