PSX-A-20 - Late-Breaking: Potential prebiotic effect of canola meal non-starch polysaccharide hydrolysis products in weaned piglets challenged with enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli F4

Enzymatically derived non-starch polysaccharide hydrolysis products (HP) may modulate enteric health outcomes in piglets. Thus, responses of weaned piglets to an oral challenge with enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli F4 (ETEC) when fed diets containing canola meal (CM) HP were investigated. The HP were obtained by incubating CM with a multi-carbohydrase (MC) blend. Thirty-five weaned piglets (8.08 ± 0.34 Kg BW) were individually assigned in a completely randomized design to 1 of 5 treatments: UCC (unchallenged control), NC (negative control challenged with ETEC), PC (NC + 0.1% AGP), HP1 (NC + 0.25% HP), HP2 (NC + 0.5% HP). After a seven-day adaptation period, piglets in the UCC group received 5 ml of PBS, whereas those in all other groups were orally challenged with 5 ml (5 × 10⁶ CFU/mL) of ETEC F4. On d 14 all piglets were euthanized for tissue sampling. Data were analyzed using the PROC MIXED procedure of SAS 9.4, with the individual pig as the experimental unit. During the post-challenge period, piglets fed NC diet had lower (P < 0.05) G: F than those fed the PC, whereas the G: F was higher (P < 0.05) for piglets fed the HP-containing diets than that of piglets fed the NC diet. Piglets fed diets containing HP showed lower (P < 0.05) jejunum pH and fecal scores than piglets fed the NC diet. For gene expressions, the HP groups showed a greater level of toll like receptor 2 (TLR2) compared with NC group (P < 0.05). For the HP groups, HP1 had a higher (P < 0.05) level of TLR2 than HP2 treatment. Feeding HP resulted in lower relative abundance of Bifidobacterium in the colon of piglets compared with feeding with NC (P < 0.05). In conclusion, piglets fed diets with CM HP exhibited less severe ETEC-enteritis and had similar effects with AGP.