Growth Performance, Carcass Quality and Gut Microbiome of Finishing Stage Pigs Fed Formulated Protein-Energy Nutrients Balanced Diet with Banana Agro-Waste Silage

Growth Performance, Carcass Quality and Gut Microbiome of Finishing Stage Pigs Fed Formulated Protein-Energy Nutrients Balanced Diet with Banana Agro-Waste Silage

This study evaluated the effects of fermented banana agro-waste silage (BAWS) in finishing diets for KHAPS pigs (Duroc × MeiShan hybrid). BAWS was produced via 30 days of anaerobic fermentation of disqualified banana fruit, pseudostem, and wheat bran, doubling crude protein content and generating sh...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Lan-Szu Chou, Chih-Yu Lo, Chien-Jui Huang, Hsien-Juang Huang, Shen-Chang Chang, Brian Bor-Chun Weng, Chia-Wen Hsieh
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-06-01
Series:Life
Subjects:
banana agro-waste
silage
pigs
growth performance
carcass quality
gut microbiota
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2075-1729/15/7/1033
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Summary:This study evaluated the effects of fermented banana agro-waste silage (BAWS) in finishing diets for KHAPS pigs (Duroc × MeiShan hybrid). BAWS was produced via 30 days of anaerobic fermentation of disqualified banana fruit, pseudostem, and wheat bran, doubling crude protein content and generating short-chain fatty acids, as indicated by a satisfactory Flieg’s score. Thirty-six pigs were assigned to control (0%), 5%, or 10% BAWS diets formulated to meet NRC nutritional guidelines. Over a 70-day period, BAWS inclusion caused no detrimental effects on growth performance, carcass traits, or meat quality; a transient decline in early-stage weight gain and feed efficiency occurred in the 10% group, while BAWS-fed pigs demonstrated reduced backfat thickness and increased lean area. Fore gut microbiome analysis revealed reduced <i>Lactobacillus</i> and elevated <i>Clostridium sensu stricto 1</i>, <i>Terrisporobacter</i>, <i>Streptococcus</i>, and <i>Prevotella</i>, suggesting enhanced fiber and carbohydrate fermentation capacity. Predictive COG (clusters of orthologous groups)-based functional profiling showed increased abundance of proteins associated with carbohydrate transport (COG2814, COG0561, COG0765) and stress-response regulation (COG2207). These results support BAWS as a sustainable feed ingredient that maintains production performance and promotes fore gut microbial adaptation, with implications for microbiota-informed nutrition and stress resilience in swine.
ISSN:2075-1729

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