Toward commercialization of a novel fermentation product for enhancing intestine development and productivity of early-weaned pigs

新断奶猪的消化紊乱和生长减少是猪管理的关键问题。建立促进肠道发育的饲粮将有助于优化猪在这一关键阶段的生产性能。为此，我们通过生物工程方法产生了表达乳酸乳杆菌和毕赤酵母的表皮生长因子（EGF）。我们实验室之前的试验表明，产生egf的乳杆菌促进了小鼠和猪的肠道发育和整体动物生长。此外，口服发酵产物（去除转基因微生物后）也促进了早期断奶猪的肠道发育和生长。为了进一步将该技术推向商业应用，我们计划更好地表征无转基因发酵产品，检查饲料加工过程中的稳定性，在新断奶仔猪中建立剂量-反应关系，并在代表商业实践的环境中验证发酵产品的有效性。此外，我们将在体外和体内进行评估，以确定发酵产品应用的安全性。预计最终产品将为商业猪肉生产提供新的饲料添加剂系列，同时减少断奶后的生长滞后和对实际猪日粮中抗生素和动物蛋白使用的依赖。

Digestive upsets and growth reductions of newly-weaned pigs are key concerns in pig management. Establishing an intestinal development-enhancing diet will help to optimize pig performance at this critical stage. To this end, we have generated epidermal growth factor (EGF) - expressing L. lactis, and Pichia pastoris via a bioengineering approach. Previous trials in our laboratory have shown that EGF-producing L. lactis enhanced intestinal development and overall animal growth in both mice and pigs. Moreover, oral dosing of the fermentation product (after removal of the genetically modified microorganisms ) also increased intestinal development and growth of early-weaned pigs. To further this technology to commercial application, we plan to better characterize the GMO-free fermentation product, examine stability during feed processing, establish a dose-response relationship in newly-weaned piglets, and to validate the effectiveness of the fermentation product in an environment that represents commercial practices. In addition, we will perform evaluations in vitro and in vivo to determine the safety of application of the fermentation product. It is anticipated that the end product will offer a novel line of feed additives for commercial pork production, while reducing post-weaning growth lag and reliance on use of antibiotics and animal proteins in practical pig diets.