Our articles are where we share the thinking behind our products - what they’re made to solve, how they work in practice, and what to pay attention to in feeding and management. Some pieces are technical, some are practical, but the common goal is to give you a clearer understanding of when a product makes sense, what you can expect, and how to use it well.
Oxidative stress in animals arises from free radicals produced during normal metabolism and stress conditions, causing progressive damage to cells and tissues.
At Danish Pig Advisory Center, Senior Advisor Karina Mikkelsen has excellent experiences with one concrete yoghurt product as energy boost for weak new-born piglets. See the recipe on how you keep the weakest piglets of the litter alive.
University research with tilapia has shown that a natural polyphenol product can substitute up to 80% of added vitamins E and C in fish feed.
In order to get a piglet through weaning without much trouble, dependence on antibiotics or zinc oxide is neither allowed nor is it necessary. In nature, many compounds exist that can be potent stimuli to a pig’s gut – and thus can help a piglet on her way. When mixing the right ones together, longlasting effects can be created.
A Danish piglet producer in West Jutland with over 1,800 sows reduced piglet mortality from slightly over 13 percent units to just over 10 percent in 12 weeks by giving the smallest piglets a yoghurt product in Pig-LET Starters.
Research with weaned pigs has shown that natural polyphenols product can substitute up to 44% of vitamin E in feed beneficially, and work as performance enhancer when applied on top of high vitamin E application. In addition to that, later research with broilers has shown that natural polyphenols product can substitute up to 80% of vitamin E in feed beneficially.
Natural products known as phytogenics have been the focus of several animal studies in recent years. Phytogenics are a group of natural bioactive substances originating from plants, especially herbs, spices and berries. These substances are reported to have a wide range of activities, including modulation of the gut microbial population, antioxidant effect, immune stimulation, and stimulant for increased feed intake.
Some fruits, berries and herbs have a high content of polyphenols that possess interesting properties in feed for animals. The selected polyphenols have the potential to partially replace vitamin E in animal feed. Animals are often fed vitamin E far beyond the minimum standard to ensure a sufficient level of antioxidants to counteract oxidative stress.
