Desempenho e parâmetros sanguíneos de leitões em fase de creche recebendo duas fontes distintas de colina na dieta

Abstract

Choline is an essential nutrient for swine and is supplemented in diets in the form of choline chloride. However, this synthetic product has unfavorable characteristics for its application in animal nutrition. Therefore, alternatives to choline chloride are being researched for commercial use, such as herbal choline. In this sense, the present study aimed to evaluate and compare the results obtained with dietary supplementation of choline chloride and herbal choline. The study lasted 26 days, five experimental diets were used, as follows: NC – negative control, with deficient levels of choline and digestible methionine; C300 – basal diet with choline supplementation via 300 mg/kg of choline chloride; C600 – basal diet with choline supplementation via 600 mg/kg of choline chloride; CH100 – basal diet with choline supplementation via 100 mg/kg of herbal choline; CH200 – basal diet with choline supplementation via 200 mg/kg herbal choline, with eight repetitions each. Eighty piglets distributed by initial weight and sex were used, with an experimental design in randomized blocks. The variables of zootechnical performance, blood parameters and economic viability were analyzed. The use of herbal choline and choline chloride as additives in the diet benefited the zootechnical performance of piglets, with doses of 200 mg/kg of herbal choline and 600 mg/kg of choline via choline chloride being the ones that showed the bests results for daily weight gain and weight at the end of the experimental period at a significance level of 5% (p < 0,05). There was no influence of supplementation on blood parameters. Regarding the economic impact, the nutrient supplementation provided an increase in the total revenue obtained, concomitantly with a reduction in the cost per kilogram of piglet produced. It was possible to conclude that choline chloride can be successfully replaced by herbal choline.