Use of condensed tannins in newly weaned pigs challenged with a diet rich in soybean meal and low in lactose

ABSTRACT: A compound of condensed tannins (CCT) was evaluated in 21-day-old piglets receiving simple diets formulated to challenge the animals. Thirty two piglets (average initial weight 6.3 ± 0.78 kg), 8 animals per treatment (T) were distributed in Negative Control (NC) - basal diet with 80 ppm of zinc oxide (ZnO); Positive control (PC) - basal diet with 2500 ppm of ZnO; Condensed tannins (CCT) - NC with inclusion of 1 or 2 g/kg of TCC. Basal diets were formulated for the pre-initial (1 to 14 days) and initial (15 to 28 days) phases, with only 70 and 35 g/kg of lactose and 360-373 g/kg of soybean meal, respectively, and without zinc supplementations. We evaluated the performance and apparent digestibility of the total tract, the occurrence of diarrhea and fecal scores. At the end of the experiment, animals were euthanized for the collection of cecal content and intestinal segments (jejunum-ileum) for microbiome and cytokine (IL-4 and IL-10) analyses. No statistical differences were observed in performance or digestibility coefficients in any period evaluated. The feces of piglets that received TCC were better but did not consist of diarrhea. Differences in IL-4 or IL-10 production by day 28. The diet containing 2 g/kg CCT resulted in a higher Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio and increased abundance of the genera Mitsuokella and Acidaminococcus, which may be beneficial for improving performance.