Effects of plant essential oil supplementation on growth performance, immune function and antioxidant activities in weaned pigs

The aim of this study was to determine the effects of plant essential oil supplementation on growth performance, immune function and antioxidant activities in weaned pigs. In the study, 24 weaned pigs were used to explore the effects of plant essential oil (PEO) on growth performance, immune properties and antioxidant activities. Pigs were fed with a basal diet (CON) or basal diet containing different concentrations of PEO (PEO50: 50 ppm; PEO100: 100 ppm; PEO200: 200 ppm). After 3 weeks, all pigs were slaughtered and blood and tissue samples were collected for biochemical analysis. The results showed that PEO supplementation quadratically increased body weight gain (BWG) (P = 0.031), linearly (P