NUTRITIONAL STRATEGIES FOR IMPROVING THE GUT HEALTH OF MONOGASTRIC ANIMALS

Optimal gastrointestinal functionality and health is essential for sustainable animal production, especially considering that nowadays, the challenge in livestock sector is to maintain a high productivity and food security in a sustainable way, reducing the use of antimicrobials. Nutritional strategies that aim to improve animals’ performance preserving their intestinal health, are essential for achieving these goals. Therefore, in the present thesis, various nutritional interventions were evaluated, using short and medium chain fatty acids in particular, on the growth and intestinal well-being of pigs. The purpose of this thesis was to: 1) evaluate the effects of an innovative form of a medium chain fatty acid, lauric acid saponified with calcium, supplemented in post-weaning piglet diet on their growth and gut health and as a possible alternative to reduce the use of antibiotics; 2) asses the effectiveness of the combination of a short chain fatty acid (tributyrin) and a medium chain fatty acid (monolaurin) in post-weaning piglet diet on their growth performance and some gut health parameters; 3) evaluate the effects of lauric acid saponified with calcium administered to sows diet starting from the last 3 weeks of gestation, on sows productivity and on the growth performance and health of their offspring; 4) to assess the effect of fatty acids and different milk fractions on porcine IPEC-J2 cell line proliferation and viability. The results presented in this thesis highlight how short and medium chain fatty acids are effective candidates for improving animal health, reducing the use of antibiotics. This may contribute to the development of a more sustainable livestock production system based on the respect of animal health and the reduction of antimicrobials, as recommended by the “One Health” approach. However, further investigations are necessary to better understand the mechanisms of action, the dosage and the best forms of administration of short and medium chain fatty acids (alone or synergistically) integrated in pigs’ diets, in particular during weaning, to further improve their growth performance and gut health.