182 The effects of pure benzoic acid, an acid blend product, or their combination in nursery pig diets on post-weaning growth performance

Abstract

Abstract A total of 1,325 pigs (Camborough × line 800, PIC Canada) were weaned (20 d of age, 5.5 kg BW) and used to compare the effects of 5 diet acidification strategies on growth performance from d 0 to 41 post-weaning. Feed acidification strategies were fed over 3 dietary phases; d 0 to 13 (P1), d 13 to 20 (P2), and d 20 to 41 (P3). The 5 strategies consisted of 1) NC, commercial diet without any acidifier; 2) P+, NC with recommended 0.1% of an acidifier and flavoring blend (fumaric, sorbic, malic, citric acids with thymol, vanillin, eugenol) in P1, 0.05% in P2, and nothing added in P3; 3) VH, NC with 0.5% pure benzoic acid (VevoVitall®; DSM Nutritional Products) in P1, P2, and P3; 4) VL, NC with 0.25% pure benzoic acid in P1, P2, and P3; and 5) P+V, P+ with 0.5% pure benzoic acid in P1, 0.25% pure benzoic acid in P2, and nothing added in P3. Experimental additives were substituted for wheat in the basal diets. There were 10 pens of 26-27 pigs allotted to each acidification strategy in a RCBD based on initial BW. During P1, ADG, F/G, and d 13 BW were improved (P< 0.05) for pigs fed VH or P+V. In P2, ADG and d 20 BW were improved (P< 0.05) for pigs fed VH or P+V, and there was a tendency (P=0.06) for pigs fed acids (P+, VH, VL, or P+V) to have greater ADFI; however, there were no differences in F/G. There were no differences in growth performance during P3 or overall (d 0 to 41). Nevertheless, performance differences during P1 and P2 resulted in pigs fed an acidification strategy using pure benzoic acid (VH, VL, or P+V) having numerically greater BW (+0.5 kg) and income-over-feed-cost (+CA $0.44/pig) on d 41 when compared to pigs fed NC or P+.