Citrus Extract for the Piglet’s Gut Health

Using citrus extract in substitution of antibiotics for piglet diet tend to be efficient. Some studies reveal that citrus extract enhances the concentration of plasma vital amino acid. It is also proved to improve its intestinal and digestive enzyme activity.

Why supply citrus extracts to piglets?

Generally, piglets may suffer from stress, especially when they are weaning. This last may impact on its physiology and can bring in intestinal dysfunction which may influence its growing performance. In order to cope with this stress, farmers commonly use antibiotics.

They are also preconized in the treatment of diarrhea, the promotion of growth and the improvement of intestinal digestion and consumption. What matters is to find alternative to antibiotics. For that, antibiotic and nitrogen emission will be reduced.

Animal growth will also be improved and farms will draw important benefits. The reduction of environmental pollution that would impact on several sectors of society should not be forgotten.

What are the biological functions of citrus?

Generally, citrus flavonoid is seen as effective biologically active compounds. In fact, you can see that citrus extract contains many biological functions such as anti-cancer, anti-bacterial but also antioxidant and anti-inflammatory.

To improve animal’s health in a natural way, its strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory sides are required.

Piglet’s gut health

Gut health is defined as an effective digestion and absorption of feeds. To that, absence of gastrointestinal tract illness is coupled. In order to reach this need, most of 70 percent of immune system issues belongs to the gastrointestinal tract.

That’s the reason why nutritional requirements should be met in order to strengthen its immune system and to ameliorate its feed conversion. With 20 meter length, its gastrointestinal tract produces energy from feed pellets, molasses, and vegetables and from anything else the pig eats.

The symbiotic bacteria that are present in thousands of species mainly proliferate in the warm, wet and nutrient –rich tract. But they also contribute to help the host to resist pathogens. Besides, don’t omit to mention that these bacteria permits better absorption of nutrients extracted from food.

When the piglet is weaned away from milk, it may suffer from different gut problems. Among the most popular, there are wounds, lesions and infections that are influent to the piglet’s digestive and absorptive ability.

Instead of converting the energy and nutrients into pounds, the piglet will only divert it to cope with sickness. Because of the stress resulted from the fact of being weaned, the piglet goes through a critical period. About 35 percent of them die at that moment.

Until they get accustomed to eating corn and soy-milk based diet, the piglet should be supplemented with citrus extract. It is an antibiotic free solution that can help them go simply and safely through that critical period.

Piglet experiment

In order to verify the efficiency if the uses of citrus extract to improve piglet’s gut health, some experiments have been led on 144 weaned piglets. These last belong to the landrace, the duroc and the large white race.

Divided into three groups, the first group has been fed with basic and controlled diet. The second group has been given some antibiotics. Their diet has then been supplemented with 75 g of tetracycline.

And the last group has been supplemented with 300 ml/t citrus extract. Right after, it has been noticed that the albumin content of the citrus extract group was superior to the control group. These first have also increased concentrations specially of plasma, total essential amino acids and threonine.

It has also been remarked that the citrus extract group present an alpha-aminoadipic acid concentration. And compared to the antibiotic group also , it has also increase the 3-methylhistidine concentration.

The crypt depth of duodenum, jejunum and ileum also decreased. And in the antibiotic and citrus extract groups, the ratio of villius height to crypt death of ileum also increased. And finally, it has been shown off that the activity of alkaline phosphatase and lipase in deudenum has also increased.

 That is also the case of the activity of alkaline phosphatase and trypsin in jejunum. So, if we consider these results, therefor caution is required we can say that the natural solution based on the citrus extract plays a great role in the piglet’s gut health.