Enhanced feeding value of high-moisture-corn in swine liquid feeding

猪的液体喂养在北美是一项新兴技术。根据在欧洲进行的研究，液体喂养比传统的干性喂养有许多潜在的好处，例如改善肠道健康、降低沙门氏菌流行率、使用食品和酒精工业的廉价副产品、膳食制备和递送的灵活性和便利性，以及提高含有酶和有益细菌的成分的喂养价值。关于以高水分玉米（HMCorn）为基础的日粮对猪进行液体喂养的好处的信息很少，这一点很重要，因为HMCorn是加拿大中部猪液体喂养的主要驱动因素之一。由此推测，用酶浸泡和细菌接种剂控制发酵可以提高猪对液体日粮的饲用价值。本试验旨在研究利用植酸酶、淀粉酶、蛋白酶等酶浸泡HMCorn提高饲粮中猪对营养物质利用的效果，以及利用乳酸菌辅助发酵、降低致病负荷和增强猪消化功能的效果。确定的饲料处理将基于控制浸泡（使用不同来源和水平的植酸酶和淀粉酶）和发酵（接种不同类型和组合的产乳酸细菌），并使用微发酵装置进行研究，然后在最先进的猪液体饲养装置中对发酵剂和生长-肥育（G/F）猪进行体内研究。研究结果将有助于减少生猪生产对环境的影响，减少对饲料中抗生素的依赖（从而改善猪肉安全和动物福利），并降低饲养成本。此外，一些结果可以转化为改善饲喂干饲料的猪的生产性能。

Liquid feeding of swine is an emerging technology in North America.  Based on studies conducted in Europe, liquid feeding has many potential benefits over conventional dry-feeding, such as improved gut health, reduced Salmonella prevalence, use of inexpensive co-products from the food and alcohol industry, flexibility and ease of diet preparation and delivery, and enhancement of the feeding value of ingredients with enzymes and beneficial bacteria.  There is little information on the benefits of liquid feeding pigs with high moisture corn (HMCorn)-based diets, which is important because HMCorn is one of the main drivers of swine liquid feeding in central Canada.  It is hypothesized that steeping with enzymes and controlled fermentation with bacterial inoculants can improve the feeding value of HMCorn for pigs fed liquid diets.  Experiments will be conducted to determine the efficacy of using enzymes (phytase, amylase, proteases) for steeping of HMCorn to improve nutrient utilization by pigs in HMCorn-based diets, and to use lactic acid (LA) bacteria to aid fermentation, reduce pathogenic load and enhance digestive function in pigs.  Dietary treatments established will be based on controlled steeping (using different sources and levels of phytase and amylase) and fermentation (inoculation with different types and combinations of LA producing bacteria) with studies using micro-fermentation units, prior to conducting in vivo study studies with starter and growing-finishing (G/F) pigs in a state-of-the-art swine liquid feeding unit.  The findings will contribute to reduced environmental impact of pig production, reduced reliance on in-feed antibiotics (and thus improved pork safety and animal welfare), and reduced feeding costs. Moreover, some outcomes could be translated to improve the performance of pigs fed dry diets.