Effects of dietary fibers with different physicochemical properties on constipation, parturition duration, and the number of stillborn piglets in sows

Early piglet mortality is an important issue in the pig industry. Dietaryfiber is a good feed nutrient for sows in reducing constipation andincreasing the number of piglets born alive. However, the effects offibers with different physicochemical properties on the reproductionperformance of sows have not been fully explored. In this study, a totalof 80 sows were randomly allocated to Control (CON, basic cornsoybeanmeal) and one of three dietary fiber treatments, in such a waythat these three diets all had the same total dietary fiber content (TDF)from Day 85 of gestation to the end of lactation: LIG (replace 1.5% ofwheat bran with Lignocellulose), PRS (replace 2.0% of wheat bran with712 | ABSTRACTS10982795, 2023, 7, Downloaded from https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/mrd.23697 by Wageningen University and Research Bibliotheek, Wiley Online Library on [06/12/2023]. See the Terms and Conditions (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/terms-and-conditions) on Wiley Online Library for rules of use; OA articles are governed by the applicable Creative Commons LicenseResistant starch), and KON (replace 2.0% of wheat bran with Konjakuflour). The parturition duration, the number of live and dead piglets,piglet birth weight, and the body weight of sows are recorded. Besides,we observed the constipation of sows (including fecal scores,defecation frequency, and fecal moisture level) during the 5 daysbefore and after farrowing. We also analyzed serum levels of gutmotility factors and of inflammation cytokine at the end of gestation.Using one‐way analysis of variance (ANOVA) with treatment as afactor, showed that LIG, PRS, and KON intake (means ± SEM) reducedstillborn number (1.00 ± 0.22, 0.61 ± 0.31, 0.68 ± 0.18, p=0.08) comparedto CON (the stillborn number is 1.53 ± 0.36) and stillborn rate(8.5 ± 1.8%, 3.9 ± 1.5%, 4.5 ± 1.2%, p = 0.02) compared to CON (stillbornrate is 11.3 ± 2.6%). PRS and KON shortened the farrowingduration of sows (286 ± 29min and 282 ± 21min, vs. CON397 ± 39min; p = 0.03) and LIG (369 ± 42min) was in between. PRSand KON had higher fecal scores and higher fecal moisture during 5days before farrowing (p < 0.01), and a higher defecation frequencyaround farrowing (p < 0.01). In addition, PRS and KON had higherserum levels of 5‐hydroxytryptamine (5‐HT), motilin (MTL), endothelin‐1 (ET‐1), acetylcholinesterase (AChE), which have been considered gutmotility regulating factors in earlier studies, and lower seruminflammation cytokine TNF‐α in late gestation. In conclusion, specificdietary fiber supplementation reduced constipation which was probablyrelated to the higher levels of gut motility regulating factors andresulted in shortening the duration of parturition and reducing thestillborn rate of piglets.