Partially replacing the traditional diet with acorn pomace in the diet of Yuxi black pigs can improve their growth performance and immune function

Zhe Sun^1,2Luyao Huang¹Bohan Miao³Siyuan An¹Jiale Wang⁴Tingting Liu²Xuejia Wu¹Zhiguo Miao^1*

• ¹Henan Institute of Science and Technology, Xinxiang, China
• ²Shihezi University, Shihezi, China
• ³Henan University of Animal Husbandry and Economy, Zhengzhou, China
• ⁴Tianjin Agricultural University, Tianjin, China

This experiment aimed to investigate the influence of acorn pomace (AP) diet on the growth performance and immune function of Yuxi black pigs. Ninety healthy Yuxi black pigs of 120 days old and similar body weight (91.97±0.52 kg) were randomized into five groups (six pigs per replicate, three replicates for each group). The feeding experiment was conducted over a period of 120 days. The CON group was fed the basal diet, and the AP1, AP2, AP3 and AP4 groups were fed experimental diets which contained 20% acorn pomace, 25% acorn pomace, 30% acorn pomace, 35% acorn pomace. The results showed that final body weight (FBW) and average daily gain (ADG) were notably increased and feed/gain ratio was significantly decreased in AP3 group compared with the CON group (P<0.05). The concentrations of GH, INS, C3 and IgG in serum, IgA, IgG, IL-2 and IL-10 in liver and spleen and IgM in spleen were prominently increased, while the concentrations of TNF-α and IL-6 in serum and IL-1β in spleen were markedly reduced in AP3 group (P<0.05). Meanwhile, the expression levels of IGF-1 in longissimus dorsi and TGF-β1 in liver were markedly higher than the CON group, while IGF-2 in liver and longissimus dorsi and IL-6, MyD88 and NF-κB in liver and spleen were prominently decreased in AP3 group (P<0.05). The results indicated that feeding an appropriate amount of AP diet (30% acorn pomace) could improve the growth performance and immune function of Yuxi black pigs, and promote the healthy growth and development of pigs.