Utilization of shrimp shells containing chitosan as a source of prebiotic in crossbred pigs

Abstract

Shrimp shell meal (SSM) containing chitosan was evaluated for its prebiotic effect during creep, grower and finisher phases of swine feeding. During creep phase a total of 240 pre-weaned piglets were assigned at random to 5 dietary treatments of control diet (T1), T1 supplemented with antibiotic (T2), while in treatments T3, T4, and T5 dried and autoclaved SSM containing 15.5% chitosan was included at 0.5, 1.0 and 1.5%, respectively such that the rations contained 700, 1500 and 2300 mg chitosan/kg. Each treatment contained six replicate pens with eight piglets per pen. From 240 piglets at creep stage, 40 pigs were selected as and when they attained 15 kg body weight for growth studies during grower phase (15-35 kg) and were shifted to the corresponding diet during finisher phases ( 35-70 kg live weight). During these phases, the standard ration (T1) was supplemented with chlorotetracyclin (T2) while dried SSM was included at 2.5 (T3), 5.0 (T4) and 7.5% (T5), as a source of chitosan. The experimental diets were formulated as per NRC, 1998 and the diets were isocaloric and isonitrogenous. The growth performance and nutrient digestibility were studied. Two pigs per treatment at the end of creep and grower phases and 6 pigs per treatment at the end of finisher phase were slaughtered to study the small intestine morphological structures, gut pathogen load, serum biochemical profile and haematological parameters while carcass characteristics were studied after finisher phase. newline