Graded supplemental choline chloride fed throughout the grow and finish periods elicited minimal influence on growth performance and carcass characteristics of pigs in a commercial setting

Choline is vital in a variety of physiological processes that influence brain development, growth, and carcass characteristics in birds and mammals. In this study, we investigated the influence of graded supplemental choline chloride on growth performance, carcass quality, and liver characteristics in grow-finish pigs. Pigs (672 barrows and 588 gilts) were obtained from a commercial nursery facility at 8 weeks of age and assigned to treatment based on body weight and sex, with 21 same-sex pigs comprising a replicate pen. Each dietary treatment was provided to 15 replicate pens, with 8 pens of barrows and 7 pens of gilts per each of 4 dietary treatments, which included: 1) C0, basal diet containing 0% of supplemental choline chloride; 2) C300, C0 + 0.06% supplemental choline chloride, to provide 300 mg/kg of choline ions; 3) C600, C0 + 0.12% supplemental choline chloride, to provide 600 mg/kg of choline ions; and 4) C900, C0 + 0.17% supplemental choline chloride, to provide 900 mg/kg of choline ions. Feed and water were provided ad libitum throughout the study, and pigs were managed using standard commercial practices. Data were analyzed by two-way ANOVA using the MIXED procedure of SAS, with factors including dietary treatment and sex. There was no dietary impact (P > 0.05) on growth performance. Pigs receiving intermediate levels of supplemental choline had higher (P < 0.05) tenderloin weights compared with other dietary treatments. Furthermore, and as expected, sex differences were denoted in both growth performance and carcass characteristics. Overall, graded supplementation of choline chloride did not significantly alter growth performance or carcass characteristics of pigs raised in a commercial setting.