Effects of dietary supplementation of fermented wheat bran on performance and blood profiles in weaned pigs

This study was conducted to investigate the effect of supplementation of fermented wheat bran (FWB) on growth and blood characteristics in weaned pig. A total of 36 weaned pigs ($Landrace{\times}Yorkshire{\times}Duroc$; BW, $7.78{\pm}0.04kg$) were randomly allocated to three dietary treatments with different FWB concentrations (0, 0.5, and 1.0%), and each treatment had 3 replicate pens with 4 pigs per pen. The FWB was obtained from a mixture of wheat bran and two microbes (Lactobacillus plantarum M10 and Saccaromyces cerevisiae) and was determined to contain $10.19{\pm}0.27log\;CFU/g$ of L. plantarum and $7.73{\pm}0.38log\;CFU/g$ of S. cerevisiae. Experimental diets were prepared by mixing 0 (control), 0.5, or 1.0% of the FWB to the basal diet, and fed to the weaned pigs for 7 weeks. During the experimental period, the pigs had access to the diet and water ad libitum. Feed intake increased significantly in the 1.0% FWB group compared to the control and 0.5% FWB groups (p < 0.05), whereas the other growth parameters were not different among the treatment groups. White blood cells and lymphocytes were significantly decreased in the FWB treatment groups compared to the control group, but other blood corpuscles were not different among the treatment groups (p < 0.05). The pigs fed 0.5% FWB showed greater serum IgG than the control and 1.0% FWB groups (p < 0.05). In conclusion, the FWB fed to weaned pigs did not negatively affect their growth performance, but rather reduced mortality by fortifying immunity.