Pig production has developed quickly in the last couple of decades. Pig production has changed from a backyard farming system to a professional large scale operation. This rapid development should not have been possible without an impressive evolution of pig nutrition.

One of the early developments in pig husbandry was to reduce the weaning age of piglets. Advanced nutrition knowledge makes it possible to produce diets according to the various physiological stages of life. Our solutions for the improvement of pig raising on the pig farm, are therefore also adapted to the different ages and nutritional demands.

For piglets our focus is to reduce the incidence of bacterial disorders and thereby optimize performance and uniformity of groups at your farm with the ProPhorce® range. Further you can also optimize feed cost and performance using enzyme technology within our enzyme range ProFare®.

During later stages of the meat production, we keep working on the reduction of bacterial disorders by our ProPhorce® range, keeping economics in mind. This is important as feed costs are the major cost for production of swine meat. Therefore optimizing diet cost with enzyme technology is also part of our ProFare® range for older pigs.

The third major group of diets for swine is dedicated for the sows. Around farrowing they need to change from a gestation diet to a lactation diet. To optimize performance around farrowing, our ProPhorce® range contains products to reduce the possibilities for bacterial disorders, optimal feed intake, prevention of digestibility problems and physiological problems.

Piglets
During the first weeks after weaning, piglets may have health problems that reduce their daily growth and consequently increase the feed conversion ratio. Most problems are caused by digestive disorder, therefore feed additives that stabilize the GIT are highly recommended.

After weaning, the secretion of hydrochloric acid in the stomach of piglets is insufficient to reduce the pH far enough for an optimal digestion of compound feed. The pH in the GIT of adult pigs and unweaned piglets is given in the following diagram.

When the pH level in a piglet’s stomach is too high, the activity of the enzyme pepsin is not efficient to break down all the feed protein. Undigested protein is a very good substrate for pathogenic enteric bacteria like Escheria coli and Salmonella. These micro-organisms excrete enterotoxins causing diarrhea and other related physiological problems.

Animal trials have shown that adding a Perstorp ProPhorce® acidifier to the composite feed of piglets after weaning helps to reduce the pH in the stomach and give the following benefits:

• Strong effect against harmful bacteria
• Effective at high and low pH levels
• Improved digestibility of nutrients
• Stimulates enzymatic activity

Weaning is a period with high levels of stress for piglets. This is not only having a negative effect on the acid secretion in the stomach, but research also shows it is reducing the secretion of enzymes by the piglet itself. This secretion of enzymes is very important, as we try to shift the feed from dairy components to more vegetable components that contain more carbohydrates as energy source. Additional enzymes in piglet feeds, can increase the digestion of feeds, reduce the incidences of digestibility disturbances and thereby improve performance. In our ProFare® range, you can find special formulations to help optimize piglet performance.

For more information on our range of ProPhorce® and ProFare® products and applications in piglet diets, please contact your local sales representative.

Pigs
Once pigs mature, it is increasingly important in current swine production systems that they grow efficiently. However nutritional needs are changing, making nutritionists to adopt diets to the pigs needs. Changes in diets however increase the possibility of digestive and bacterial disorders. The risk that undesired bacteria like Escheria coli and Salmonella to reduce the digestion stays always in place. Certainly in feed strategies where antibiotic growth promoters cannot be used, the chances are relatively serious and the consequences as well. Within the ProPhorce® range, you can find products to help you optimize economic performance. By our extended range, you can find products that are adapted to local conditions in the world, wherever you are located. Please contact your local Sales channel for more information on our ProPhorce® range.

Local ingredients are often the most cost effective ingredients to be used in animal feed production. For young animals, with special nutritional needs, it is worthwhile looking at high quality ingredients to optimize performance and digestion. For older animals, where feed costs are of much higher importance, local ingredients are often a must. However local ingredients not always secure maximum performance. To improve utilization of many local ingredients to reduce feed cost and prevent digestion disorders, you can find economic solutions in our ProFare® range of feed enzymes. We invite you to contact your local Sales channel for more information on our ProFare® range.

Sows
During the gestation period, the goals for a nutritionist responsible for the pig diet are quite different than during the lactation period. During gestation it is important to have sufficient nutrients for good health and growth, but also to have sufficient filling of the intestinal tract to keep sows happy.

During lactation it is important to have sufficient highly digestible nutrients available in a form so that the sow can optimize milk production of high quality. Optimal feed intake is thereby also very important, as is the prevention of digestion disorders. Digestion disorders with lactating sows have a very serious impact on the economics of the piglets’ production.

As the goals are quite different, you can imagine the feed compositions are quite different. In our ProPhorce® range, you can find products adapted to your local needs, to help optimize production in the sow unit. For more information, please contact your local Sales channel.

For more specific information about acidification, bacterial inhibition or enzymes click on: acidification, antibacterials or enzymes.

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