Abstract #W109

# W109
Effect of turmeric, ginger and garlic extracts on performance, microbial load, and gut morphology of weaned pigs.
Olufemi A. Adebiyi*1, Isaac A. Adejumo2, Oluremi A. Adeniji1, Olusegun D. Oshibanjo1, Muyiwa B. Falana-Williams1, 1Department of Animal Science, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria, 2Department of Animal Science, Landmark University, Omu Aran, Kwara state, Nigeria.

Producing swine without in-feed antibiotics requires a combination of different strategies. Some of the approaches that are available to improve the pigs ability to reduce the impact of intestinal pathogens are phytogenic, which improve intestinal health and promote productivity. Therefore, the objective of this experiment was to assess the effect of turmeric, ginger and garlic extracts on performance, microbial loads and gut morphology of weaned pigs. A total number of 20 weaned pigs were randomly allotted into 4 treatments with 5 replicates arranged in a completely randomized design. The treatments are: T1 (control), T2 (2g turmeric extract/kg feed), T3 (2g ginger extract/kg), T4 (2g garlic extract/kg). The feed was formulated to contain 19% crude protein and 2950 kcal/kg ME which meets the nutritional requirements of the weaner pigs. The experiment lasted for 49 d. No significant (P < 0.05) difference was observed in the performance attributes of the weaned pig that were fed the different diets. The feed conversion ratio ranges from 3.59 in pigs fed T2 diet to 3.92 in pigs fed the control diet. Enterobacter count was significantly (P < 0.05) higher in pigs fed T1 (6.38 cfu), T2 (6.29 cfu) and T3 (6.27 cfu) diets, compared with their counterpart on T4 (5.12 cfu). The least value of 6.63 cfu for total bacteria count was also observed in pigs fed T4 (garlic extract) diet. The ileum section of the gastro-intestinal tract of the pigs revealed significant (P < 0.05) increase in the villus height for pigs on T4 (1419.75 µm) than what was observed on pigs fed other diets (709.25 µm, 1156.50 µm and 1068.00 µm in T1, T2 and T3 respectively. However, no significant (P > 0.05) variations was observed in the villus width and crypt depth despite the different treatments. It can be concluded that inclusion of garlic extract at 2g/kg feed resulted in improved intestinal morphology and reduction in the microbial load in weaned pig.

Key Words: pig, extract, performance