Lactobacillus-based fermentation product and Lactose Level in the Feed for Weanling Pigs: Effects on Intestinal Morphology, Microbiota, Gas Emission, and Targeted Intestinal Coliforms

Abstract A 2 × 2 factorial arrangement was used to investigate the interactions between lactose levels (100 g/kg versus 200 g/kg) and Lactobacillus -based fermentation product (FP; 0 and 1 × 10 11 CFU Lactobacillus casei /kg) on weanling piglet performance and nutrient digestibility. Two hundred and forty weaned piglets (24 days old, 7.05 kg live weight) were blocked on the basis of live weight and assigned to one of four dietary treatments with six replicates and 10 piglets per replicate in two phases (phase 1, from d 1 to 14; phase 2, from d 14 to 28). Volatile fatty acid concentrations and bacterial counts were performed in ileal, cecal, and colonic contents. In phase Ⅰ, ADG was increased (P Salmonella spp. in the ileum. The pH of colon digesta was lower (P Lactobacillus spp. was increased (P E. coli . This study demonstrates that dietary FP improved the growth performance and DM digestibility of weanling pigs. When the dietary FP, and the lactose level were combined there was no evidence of an interaction on growth performance. However, both lactose and FP decreased the emissions of total organic carbon and ammonium.