PSVI-9 Mint oil, yeast cell, and ɣ-tocopherol supplementation in gestation and lactation diets on offspring performance during the post-wean period

Weaning is a period of pig growth associated with increased incidence of oxidative stress which can impact post-weaning performance. Inclusion of feed additives with antioxidant activity in sow diets has been reported to improve offspring growth beyond the suckling phase. A study assessed yeast cell, mint oil, and ɣ-tocopherol supplementation in sow gestation and lactation diets has on offspring post-weaning performance. A total of 605 piglets (6.14 ± 2.53 kg BW) from 53 sows were randomly allotted to 62 pens, balanced by weight and litter within maternal diet [Control diet (CON), control + yeast cell at 0.15% (YC), control + mint oil at 10 ppm (MO), and control + ɣ-tocopherol at 200 ppm (GT)]. Pens of pigs were given a common diet for 126 d post-wean in a 9-phase feeding regimen. After d29 post-wean, performance of pigs deemed light (< 5.10 kg) and heavy (>7.25 kg) at weaning were followed to d126. Performance was analyzed as randomized complete block with pen as experimental unit and Tukey’s adjustment as means separation test. Pigs from CON sows tended to be lighter pigs from all other treatment groups at weaning and d29 post-wean due to differences in daily gain. Lightweight MO and GT pigs had a heavier weight at d42 (P=0.002) than CON and YC pigs (16.8, 16.7, 19.3, and 19.9 ± 0.77 kg in CON, YC, MO, and GT, respectively). At d70 post-wean, GT pigs tended to be heavier than CON pigs, with YC and MO intermediate. Lightweight pigs from MO sows had greater gain (P=0.04) during the finishing period than all other treatment groups, with GT pigs gaining less. There were no detectable differences in BW during the finishing phase among treatments in heavyweight pigs, however, CON pigs tended (P=0.07) to gain the least. Exposure to mint oil and ɣ-tocopherol during the prenatal and suckling period may provide lasting benefits to light-weight pigs post-wean.