Adequate maternal nutrition during the perinatal period is highly involved in the growth and development of offspring piglets.

A scientific research team from the Institute of Subtropical Agriculture (ISA) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences investigated the effects of different levels of sulfur-containing amino acids supplementation to sows from late pregnancy to lactation on offspring piglet’s health.

The study has been published in Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology.

Research shows that from late pregnancy to lactation, methionine accounts for 51% of the total sulfur-containing amino acids, which is the best proportion to maintain the health of offspring. A high proportion of methionine / cysteine may increase the health risk of offspring.

The team also found that the diet of 0.4% cysteine significantly increased the litter size and birth weight of sows. This formula improved the abundance of beneficial microorganisms in sows' intestines and promoted the production of serum metabolites such as antispasmodic and antioxidant.

Moreover, the blood metabolites such as mitochondrial function, cell signal transduction and fat metabolism of weaned piglets also increased. However, the survival rate, daily gain and weaning weight of piglets were improved by adding 0.48% methionine in late pregnancy.

Contact: YIN Yulong

Email: yinyulong@isa.ac.cn

Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Sciences