Pineapple byproduct as a fiber source in post weaning piglets feeding

Abstract

The aim of this research is to evaluate diets with growing levels of pineapple byproduct in weaned piglets feeding, as a fiber source to maintain gut health and satisfactory performance of the animals. Fifty six piglets, twenty one days old, will be fed diets composed mainly by corn, soybean meal and milky product, with the addition of pineapple byproduct to reach the levels of 0; 0.75; 1.5 and 2.25 of cellulose. The parameters that will be evaluated are: performance (weight gain, feed consumption and feed conversion ratio), diets digestibility, diarrhea incidence, feces production and composition, intestinal morphology (villous height, crypt depth, villous height/ crypt depth relation, globet cells number and villous density), gastrointestinal organs weight,digesta transit timeand economical evaluation of the diets (diets costs related to weight gain, index of economical efficiency and of costs). The trial will be divided in three phases, according to the age of the animals, being phase I from 21 to 32 days, phase II from 33 to 42 days and phase III from 43 to 64 days of age. The animals will be allotted into a complete randomized design, according with their weight in the beginning of the trial, with five treatments and seven repetitions. The data will be submitted to analysis of variance and of regression.