Impact of fibre on performance and intestinal health of pigs fed a high indigestible protein level

Dietary indigestible protein (IDP) may be a better indicator of potential negative dietary effects than total protein, likely because IDP is available as substrate for microbial fermentation in the hindgut resulting in the production of harmful metabolites. Fermentation of fibre, on the other hand, is generally considered to result in production of beneficial metabolites and may benefit piglets fed high dietary IDF content. This study examined the effect of fibre blend in nursery pigs fed a high dietary IDP level on performance and intestinal health. Piglets were fed a high level (3.8%) of indigestible protein, either without (IDP4), or with supplementation of one of four dietary fibre fractions (DFF) at different ratios of soluble (SDF) to insoluble (IDF) fibre (1:1, 1:3, 1:5, and 1:7 for DFF1, 2, 3, and 4, respectively).

Although there was no effect on growth performance, fibre fraction supplementation improved fecal consistency score, reduced diarrhea incidence, and improved certain parameters of gut health. Overall, the results suggest that the addition of fibre, regardless of soluble to insoluble ratio, has a beneficial impact on piglet gut health in nursery pigs fed high IDP levels.