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Claims that Quillaja saponins, or Curcumin, an extract of the spice turmeric, can enhance piglet immune status, health and performance during the first 20 days post-weaning, have been tested.
Work was undertaken at the Centre for Animal Sciences, University of Leeds (Ilsley, Miller and Kamel), A total of 192 weaners, aged 28.8 days, were allocated to four treatments. Diets were with or without Quillaja saponin at 750mg/kg in week one; 300mg/kg in weeks two and three, versus with or without Curcumin at 200mg/kg. The diets contained no antibiotics and were fed ad libitum.
Pigs were housed on slats, weighed on day 7, 14 and 20 post-weaning with pig feed intake recorded daily. Blood samples were analysed for immunoglobulins IgA and IgG.
Diet treatments had no effect on pig growth rate over the post-weaning period and feed intake and feed conversion rates were similar in the first two weeks after weaning.
But between days 15-20 post-weaning Quillaja supplemented pigs had higher daily feed intakes and feed conversion. This resulted in a higher overall daily feed intake and feed conversion between days 0-20 post-weaning.
Serum immunoglobulns (Ig) were not affected by diet on day 6 post-weaning but serum IgG levels in Quillaja treated pigs were 54% higher than the controls by day 20.
Curcumin had no effect on serum Ig levels and there were no interactions between the effect of Curcumin and Quillaja.
It is concluded that dietary Quillaja saponins may have the potential to manipulate immune response but not growth rate in weaned pigs.
Results were reported at the British Society of Animal Science Annual Conference, 5-7 April, York.