Non-antibiotic feed additives in diets for pigs: A review

• Published in: Animal Nutrition Vol. 4; no. 2; pp. 113 - 125
• Main Authors: Liu, Yanhong, Espinosa, Charmaine D, Abelilla, Jerubella J, Casas, Gloria A, Lagos, L Vanessa, Lee, Su A, Kwon, Woong B, Mathai, John K, Navarro, Diego M D L, Jaworski, Neil W, Stein, Hans H
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: China KeAi Publishing 01-06-2018; KeAi Communications Co., Ltd
• Subjects: Animal Nutrition is indebted to Dr. Chengbo Yang of the University of Manitoba and Dr. Joshua Gong of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada for their skills and dedication in organising and editing the paper; Pigs; Direct-fed microbials; Minerals; Acidifiers; Plant extracts; Prebiotics
• ISSN: 2405-6545; 2405-6383
• DOI: 10.1016/j.aninu.2018.01.007

A number of feed additives are marketed to assist in boosting the pigs' immune system, regulate gut microbiota, and reduce negative impacts of weaning and other environmental challenges. The most commonly used feed additives include acidifiers, zinc and copper, prebiotics, direct-fed microbials, yeast products, nucleotides, and plant extracts. Inclusion of pharmacological levels of zinc and copper, certain acidifiers, and several plant extracts have been reported to result in improved pig performance or improved immune function of pigs. It is also possible that use of prebiotics, direct-fed microbials, yeast, and nucleotides may have positive impacts on pig performance, but results have been less consistent and there is a need for more research in this area.