Project Overview
Commodities
Practices
Proposal abstract:
In the project "Sustainable Nutritional Strategies to Replace Zinc Oxide and Antibiotics in Nursery Pigs for Improved Nutrient Management and One Health", the multi-dimensional impacts of benzoic acid (BA) and mannan-rich fraction (MRF) as sustainable alternatives to zinc oxide (ZnO) and antibiotics in nursery pig diets on pig performance, health, life-cycle impact assessment (LCIA) metrics, and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) prevalence will be assessed using One Health approach. This project will seek to educate producers on the risks associated with antibiotic and ZnO use in swine diets and on the efficacy of BA and MRF as sustainable alternatives to antibiotics and ZnO, with the goal of encouraging producers to increase adoption of these in nursery diets and promote shifts in producer attitudes and management practices toward long-term sustainability in pig productivity, health, nutrient management, and public health.
Antibiotics and ZnO have been historically used in nursery diets to improve growth and reduce post-weaning diarrhea, but concerns about AMR and increased zinc excretion associated with ZnO use have made it necessary to identify effective alternatives. Currently, BA and MRF are commercially available in the swine industry, however, their functional effects on gut health, as well as their potential impacts on LCIA outcomes and AMR when replacing antibiotics or ZnO remain unclear.
The objectives of the project are 1) to assess effects of BA and MRF supplementation in nursery pig diets on growth performance, post-weaning diarrhea, and gut health parameters, including gut microbial composition, 2) to determine impacts of BA and MRF as alternatives to ZnO and antibiotics on AMR potential, including AMR gene abundance and resistome profile in the fecal microbiome of pigs, and 3) to investigate the LCIA outcomes associated with BA and MRF supplementation in nursery diets compared to ZnO and antibiotics in a nursery pig production system. To accomplish these objectives, 264 weaned pigs will be assigned to one of four dietary treatments: 1) Antibiotics, 2) Zinc oxide, 3) Benzoic acid, and 4) Mannan-rich fraction under Purdue Animal Care and Use Committee approval.
Comprehensive extension and outreach activities will be performed to disseminate research findings, including peer-reviewed publications, presentations at major swine conferences, industry podcasts, stakeholder meetings, and extension workshops and webinars conducted in collaboration with the Indiana Pork producers and Purdue Extension to engage swine producers. Successful outreach will be evaluated using participation metrics, follow-up surveys, and citation metrics for peer-reviewed publications to assess progress toward project outcomes.
Project objectives from proposal:
Learning outcomes expected from this project include that swine producers, nutritionists, and veterinarians will increase their knowledge of how dietary feed additives used in nursery pig diets influence pig performance and health of swine production systems. Participants will gain an understanding of how benzoic acid and mannan-rich fraction can be used as alternatives to antibiotics and pharmacological ZnO to mitigate postweaning diarrhea while maintaining pig performance and gut health and reducing antimicrobial resistance prevalence. Participants will also develop an understanding of the public health concerns related to antimicrobial resistance arising from the use of antibiotics and pharmacological ZnO in swine diets, recognizing the interconnected risks across animal, environmental, and human health within a One Health framework. Furthermore, participants will develop the skills needed to evaluate feeding strategies using a systems-based sustainability approach that integrates animal performance, gut health, antimicrobial resistance risk, and environmental impact.
Action outcomes will include increased adoption and evaluation of sustainable nutritional alternatives to antibiotics and pharmacological ZnO by swine producers and nutritionists, with participants expected to evaluate reductions in pharmacological ZnO and antibiotics use and to adopt the proposed alternative strategies. This project will also assist in shifting producers' mindsets and behavior toward long-term sustainability in swine production systems, including consideration of environmental impacts and antimicrobial resistance risk. The intended audience includes swine producers, nutritionists, and veterinarians interested in sustainability and One Health, and these outcomes will be measured through follow-up surveys and direct discussions with producers at conferences and industry meetings.