The effect of organic and inorganic zinc source, used in combination with potato fiber, on growth, nutrient digestibility and biochemical blood profile in growing pigs

Abstract The study was aimed at determining the effect of zinc (Zn) sources combined with potato fiber (PF) on growth and health status of young pigs during a four-week trial. Owing to the chemical nature of PF and its bioactivity in the gut, it was hypothesized that it may modify the effect of Zn supplements. Twenty four piglets of initial body weight 10.8 ± 0.82 kg were allocated to 4 dietary treatments ( n  = 6) arranged in a 2 × 2 factorial design: 1.7% lignocellulose (LC) and 0.033% ZnSO 4 , 1.7% LC and 0.046% Zn glycinate (ZnGly), 5% PF and 0.033% ZnSO 4 , and 5% PF and 0.046% ZnGly. LC and PF provided 10 g crude fiber/kg diet, whereas ZnSO 4 and ZnGly provided 120 mg Zn/kg diet. ZnGly increased average daily feed intake (1.00 vs. 0.84 kg; P  = 0.016), average daily gain (0.88 vs. 0.71 kg; P  = 0.014) and apparent total tract digestibility of starch (97.4 vs. 97.0%; P  = 0.006) and cellulose (48 vs. 40%; P  = 0.003), but decreased that of crude ash (49 vs. 53%; P  = 0.004), Zn (30 vs. 34%; P  = 0.043) and sugars (94 vs. 97%; P 4 . It increased blood albumin (38 vs. 33 g/L; P  = 0.004) concentration, reduced creatinine level (107 vs. 130 μmol/L; P  = 0.047), but did not affect Zn content. PF increased digestibility of dry matter (84 vs. 82%; P P  = 0.012), total phosphorus (49 vs. 46%; P  = 0.018) and Zn (34 vs. 30%; P  = 0.020), but decreased that of phytic phosphorus (86.5 vs. 88.3%; P  = 0.043) in comparison with LC. The interactive effect of both factors affected digestibility of sugars ( P P  = 0.037), and phosphorus concentration ( P  = 0.005) in the blood. In conclusion, PF and ZnGly independently contribute to the improvement of nutrient digestibility and health status of growing pigs.