Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
of CLA isomers in the umbilical cord plasma, colostrum, and milk, and subsequently
increased CLA concentrations in plasma, backfat, and longissimus dorsi of neonatal
and weanling piglets (Bee, 2000a,b; Peng
et al.
, 2010; Poulos
et al.
, 2004; Schmid
et al.
,
2008). Interestingly, in the findings of Peng
et al.
(2010), both
cis
-9,
trans
-11-18:2 and
trans
-10,
cis
-12-18:2 could be detected in colostrum and milk but only
trans
-10,
cis
-
12-18:2 could be detected in umbilical cord plasma, indicating that there might be some
differences in CLA transfer patterns between umbilical cord blood and milk.
16.4.4
Feeding strategy for conjugated linoleic acid
Numerous studies showed that supplementation of sow diets with CLA significantly
improves the immune status of sows and their offspring. However, the duration of dietary
CLA supplementation in sows may affect the extent of growth, immune components,
and metabolic and hormonal responses in lactating sows and their piglets (Corini
et
al.
, 2009). Peng
et al.
(2010) demonstrated that dietary CLA supplied during late
gestation and lactation altered the FA profiles of umbilical cord blood and milk and
led to a complex transfer pattern from the sow to the piglets. Therefore, many studies
were carried out using a CLA supplementation period starting in late pregnancy and
continuing throughout lactation (Bontempo
et al.
, 2004; Codero
et al.
, 2011; Krogh
et al.
,
2012; Peng
et al.
, 2010). Whereas in some studies sows were fed diets supplemented with
CLA from mid-gestation through weaning (Patterson
et al.
, 2008; Poulos
et al.
, 2004),
in other studies sows were fed CLA throughout gestation and lactation (Bee, 2000a,b).
Corino
et al.
(2009) evaluated two different periods for feeding 0.5% dietary CLA,
namely, from 7 d before parturition to 7 d postpartum, or from 7 d before parturition
until weaning. They found that beneficial effects in terms of body weight at weaning and
immune components of piglets were greater with a supplementation from 7 d before
parturition until 7 d postpartum. Park
et al.
(2005) observed that feeding sows with CLA
from 15 d pre-mating to weaning led to lower weights of piglets at d 21 than when sows
were fed CLA from 74 d post-mating to weaning. However, Poulos
et al.
(2004) did not
find any difference in piglet growth when sows were fed CLA from either 40 d or 75 d of
gestation until weaning.
The 0.5% supplementation level of CLA was shown to have beneficial effects on
immunologic variables in lactating sows and piglets (Bontempo
et al.
, 2004), as well as on
piglet growth (Corino
et al.
, 2009). Greater supplementation levels, such as 1% (Codero
et al.
, 2011), 1.3% (Krogh
et al.
, 2012), or 2% (Bee, 2000a,b; Patterson
et al.
, 2008),
also had many positive effects on sows or their offspring. Peng
et al.
(2010) reported
that concentrations of the CLA isomers in umbilical cord blood, plasma, backfat, and
longissimus dorsi of neonatal (2 d of age) and weanling (26 d of age) piglets increased
linearly when CLA supplementation went from 0.5% to 1.0%. However, Park
et al.
(2005)
found that piglet birth weights were lower with a high dietary level of CLA (2%) and a
longer feeding duration (from d 15 pre-mating to weaning).
